Blonde Kitsune Naruto
by D the Stampede
Summary: evil genus' challenge. During the battle for Tazuna's bridge, part of the Fourth Hokage's seal breaks and Naruto is revealed to be a girl. Eventually Fem Naruto/Haku. Chapter 9-The Forest of Death, Part One. Finally.
1. The Battle of Tazuna's Bridge

Disclaimer-Naruto isn't mine and I plead with Viz and Kishimoto and whoever else not to sue. You wouldn't get anything, I'm poor.

"Blah."=Speech

'Blah'=Thoughts

D the Stampede presents

Blonde Kitsune Naruto

Chapter One-The Battle of Tazuna's Bridge

One

"What's… With that face… Dead-last?" Sasuke questioned Naruto from his position standing over him, having blocked Haku's attack on the prone Naruto with his own body. He now resembled a human pincushion.

"Why?" Naruto asked back.

'How should I know?' Sasuke thought before replying aloud, "Hn. I hated you."

"I never asked for your help!" Naruto shouted back.

"I don't know. My body moved on its own. Idiot." Sasuke said before collapsing backward into Naruto's arms, "That man… My brother… I told myself I wouldn't die until I killed him. Don't you die too." And with those words, Sasuke went still.

Haku meanwhile was standing back up from the punch Sasuke had hit him with, "He landed a blow on me and without flinching died to protect you. To protect a precious person, knowing it was a trap, he was still able to jump in. He is a shinobi that deserves respect." When Naruto remained silent, Haku continued, "Is this the first death of a friend for you? This is the way of the shinobi." That said Haku reentered one of his ice mirrors.

"Shut up." Naruto said, laying Sasuke down, 'I won't forgive you.' Naruto thought as he changed, His whisker birthmarks thickening, his eyes turning red with slit pupils, his fingernails becoming claw-like and finally, oddly enough he became shorter and more slender as he became a she, 'I'll kill you!'

'What? What is this chakra?' Haku thought as the Kyuubi's red chakra started to swirl around Naruto as she stood, 'It's impossible for chakra to change like this! And such an evil-feeling chakra!' Then Haku noticed another impossibility, 'His wounds are healing. What is he?" Then Naruto turned to face Haku.

Two

The change to Naruto's chakra did not go unnoticed outside of Haku's dome of ice mirrors. It actually caused Kakashi and Zabuza to pause in their own battle. "Is that Zabuza?" Kakashi questioned aloud before realizing exactly what the chakra was, 'No! This terrible chakra… It can't be!'

Meanwhile, Zabuza was also deep in thought, 'What's this chakra? Something's not right. Kakashi? No, it's too strong to be his!'

'This is bad.' Kakashi thought before saying to himself, "Could the seal have broken? This feeling…" 'It's alright! The seal hasn't broken completely! But it is weakening and the Kyuubi's chakra is bursting out!' He then focused his attention back on the battle at hand and pulling a small scroll from one of his flack vest's pockets, He wiped some of the blood from one of the wounds Zabuza had given him onto said scroll, thinking, 'There's still time if I do it now!' Then out loud, He said, "Zabuza, can you hear me? Neither of us has time to waste. This might not suit your style, but let's end the fun." He finished as he snapped the scroll closed and formed a hand seal, "And finish this now!"

"Hmph… Sounds interesting. What can you do in this situation? Kakashi, show me!" Zabuza taunted while hidden in his mist.

Three

Meanwhile, back in Haku's dome of ice mirrors, Naruto sprung to the attack. 'Here he comes!' Haku thought as he prepared to throw more senbon needles at the charging Naruto. 'What killer intent! He's totally different than before.' He thought as he threw the needles only for Naruto to deflect them with chakra alone. 'What? He deflected them with chakra?' Haku thought as he jumped to a mirror directly over Naruto. He then leapt downwards towards Naruto intent on stabbing her in the back with more senbon. Naruto sensed the attack and did a spinning leap to the side, leaving Haku to strike nothing but the bridge beneath them. 'Damn I've got to get to the next mirror!' Haku thought as he rushed to do just that. But Naruto was faster and caught him by the forearm and released another burst of the Kyuubi's chakra with a howl. This burst of chakra damaged Haku's mirrors. Haku meanwhile found himself unable to break Naruto's crushing grip on his arm and received a punch to the face that sent him flying through one of his mirrors and cracked his mask in half. He then tumbled to a stop on his back as the rest of his ice mirrors shattered. He then slowly stood back up thinking, 'Zabuza-san… I cannot defeat this boy.' Haku thought as his mask fell off. Naruto noticed her enemy was standing again and charged, only to skid to a halt, her fist inches from Haku's face as she recognized the rather feminine boy from the forest.

"You… You're that guy from before." She said.

"Why did you stop?" Haku asked, "I killed your precious friend yet you can't kill me?"

Naruto looked from Haku to Sasuke and back again before shouting, "Damn it!" And slugging Haku in the mouth, knocking him down again.

"What happen to that power you had? You can't kill me like that." Haku said, getting back up and wiping his bloody mouth with the back of his hand, "There are people who make this mistake. Not killing their enemy because of pity. Leaving them with just their lives. Can you understand not having a dream? Not being needed by anyone? The pain of simply living?"

"What are you trying to say?" Naruto asked.

"Zabuza has no use for a weak shinobi. You have taken away my reason for existing." Haku replied with an odd smile.

"Why for a guy like that? He's a bad guy who takes money from a criminal!" Naruto shouted, "Is that eyebrowless freak the only important person to you?"

"I had people very dear to me. A long time ago." Haku said, "My parents. I was born in a small snowy village in Water Country. I was happy. My parents were kind people. But…" Haku paused, "When I grew up and began to learn the ways of the world, something happened."

"Something? What?" Naruto asked.

"My blood." Haku replied.

"Blood?" Naruto asked, confused. After Haku remained silent, she asked, "So what happened?"

"My father killed my mother. Then, he tried to kill me." Haku answered.

"What?" Naruto asked, even more confused.

"Water Country had had endless civil wars and those with Kekkei Genkai came to be hated."

"Kekkei Genkai?"

"Bloodlines with special abilities such as mine. Because of these abilities, clans with Kekkei Genkai were used as weapons in countless battles. As a result, these clans were blamed for bringing misfortune and war to the country. After the wars, these clans had to hide the truth of their own blood. For those whose secret were discovered, only death awaited." Then looking at Sasuke, Haku added, "That young man must also have experienced much hardship. Those with special abilities are often feared." Naruto was silent as Haku paused, "My mother was from one of these bloodlines. My father discovered this. When I realized what I had done, I had killed him. My own father! And at that time, I thought of myself as… No. I had no choice but to think that. And I realized the most painful thing…"

"Most painful thing?" Naruto questioned in Haku's silence.

"That in this world, I am a person who is unwanted." Haku answered.

'He's the same as me.' Naruto thought.

"You said to me that you wanted to become the best ninja in you village and have everyone acknowledge you. Now if someone who acknowledged you from the bottom of their heart appeared, wouldn't that person become your most important person?" Naruto thought of Iruka at this. Haku continued, "Zabuza-san took me in knowing I had a kekkei genkai. This blood that everyone hated. He desired it. I was so happy!" Haku paused in thought, 'I'm sorry Zabuza-san. I was unable to become the weapon you sought.' Then he made a request of Naruto, "Naruto-kun, please kill me!"

Four

Meanwhile, Kakashi made his move, slapping his palms with the scroll beneath them to the bridge, 'Kuchiyose: Tsuiga no Jutsu!'

Zabuza was less than impressed, "Hmph, whatever you do is useless. You can't figure out where I am. But I know exactly where you are. Kakashi, you are trapped by my jutsu." That was when the bridge started rumbling underneath Zabuza's feet, "Huh?" Then Kakashi's pack of nin-dogs burst out of the bridge around Zabuza and bit down, holding Zabuza in place.

"What's that sound?" Tazuna asked the equally confused Sakura.

"If your eyes and ears don't work, just follow your nose." Kakashi said, "That's what happens when you have your eyes shut in the mist. This summoning is specially designed for tracking down an opponent. The reason I purposely let my blood spill twice was for this. Your weapons are soaked in the scent of my blood. These are my cute little nin-dogs. Their sense of smell exceeds that of other dogs. You are the one trapped in my jutsu."

"Ungh…" Zabuza grunted in reply.

"The mist has cleared. Your future is death." And as Kakashi pointed out it was true that the mist was clearing.

"My future is death? I'm sick of your bullshit!" Zabuza replied rather defiantly for someone who was being pinned in place by a pack of dogs.

"Don't be foolish. There's nothing you can do in this situation. Your death is certain. Zabuza, you went too far. Your ambition was too great. You abandoned Kirigakure no Sato and became a missing Nin, your story even reached Kohona. Your attempted coup de' tat and assassination of the Mizukage both failed. You needed money for revenge and you also needed to avoid the hunter-nins. That's probably when you attached yourself to scum like Gatou. Kakashi then went through the hand seals for a Raikiri.

'What!' Zabuza thought as Kakashi completed the technique, 'Enough chakra that it's visible around his hand!'

"You're too dangerous." Kakashi continued, "Tazuna-san, who you're trying to kill is this country's "courage." The bridge he seeks to build is this country's "hope." Your ambition sacrifices many people. That's not what a shinobi should do."

"I don't give a Damn!" Zabuza snarled, "I fight for my own ideals and that shall continue!"

"I'll ask once more." Kakashi stated.

"Hm?"

"Surrender, Your future is death."

Five

"Please hurry and kill me." Haku said, "Why are you hesitating?"

"I don't understand!" Naruto shouted, "Is being strong the only reason you have to be alive?" When Haku remained silent, Naruto continued, head bowed, "Something other than fighting, you could have been acknowledged for something else."

"When I met you in the forest, I thought you were like me." Haku stated, "You should be able to understand. I'm sorry that you will have to stain your hands."

"Is This… Is this the only way?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes." Haku replied, simply. Gathering her courage, Naruto drew one of her kunai from her holster. As she did so, Haku said, "Please fulfill your own dreams."

Stopping to look back at Sasuke, Naruto said, "He… Sasuke also had a dream." Then she turned back to Haku, "If we'd met under different circumstances, we might have been friends." That said she rushed Haku, kunai at the ready.

"Thank you." Haku said, 'You will become strong.'

Six

"Oh, the super-thick mist is starting to clear." Tazuna noted.

"There are two people over there." Sakura said from her position defending Tazuna, "Looks like they are staring at each other."

"I can't see very well." Tazuna replied.

"Which one is Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura started to ask before noticing one of the figures was charging the other, "Oh, he's moving!"

Seven

Meanwhile, Haku sensed the danger to Zabuza and stopped Naruto's blind swing of her kunai by grabbing her wrist, "Sorry, Naruto-kun. I can't die yet!" He said while flipped through one handed hand seals.

Naruto stopped him by grabbing his hand and then head-butted him in the face, knocking him down, shouting, "Kill you, don't kill you, make up your mind!"

Eight

Meanwhile, Kakashi used his Raikiri to put his hand through Zabuza's heart. With its creator dead the mist finished dispersing, revealing Kakashi and the dead Zabuza to all. Upon seeing his master dead, Haku screamed and rushed towards him and Kakashi. Expecting an attack, Kakashi and his nin-dogs quickly released Zabuza's body and prepared to defend themselves. However, all of Haku's attention was focused on Zabuza. He fell to his knees by the body in tears. Sakura and Tazuna circled around this scene to reach Naruto. "Naruto, you're…" Sakura's exclamation was cut short when she noticed something was different about her teammate, "Naruto, why are you under a henge?"

"What? I'm not!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Then you explain why you look like a girl!" Sakura shouted, hitting Naruto over the head.

"What?" Naruto exclaimed before feeling her own chest to reveal, that yes, she had the modest bust of a girl just entering puberty and then checking lower, did the only thing a guy who was suddenly a girl could do. That is she screamed and fainted.

"Huh? It really isn't a henge?" Sakura questioned, confused. But the mystery of Naruto's sudden transformation into a girl was pushed aside by concern for Sasuke when she saw him lying there full of senbon. "Sasuke-kun!" She shouted.

"He's going to recover." An unexpected voice said. Haku continued, "I only put him in a false death state."

Before anyone could relax however, Gatou arrived with a small army of thugs at his back. "Heh. Looks like I was right and Zabuza was just a cute little baby demon."

"Gatou, what are you doing here?" Haku demanded.

"This was the plan to begin with. Hiring ninja from a village is expensive, so I hired you missing-nin who are easy to take care of afterwards. I let you ninja battle it out and after you've weakened each other I kill you with numbers. Good plan, right. The only problem was Zabuza, the cute little baby demon of the mist…" Gatou's speech was cut off by a pair of senbon to the eyes, killing him on the spot.

"I told you before not to call him that!" Haku shouted at Gatou's corpse.

"Damn ninja, you killed our meal ticket!" One of the thugs shouted.

"You're all dead!" Another exclaimed.

"Then we're going to pillage this city!" A third chimed in.

"Damn, this is bad." Kakashi stated.

Nine

Meanwhile, Naruto found herself in a sewer. Standing up, she heard a roar so loud that she felt it as well. Following it back to its source led her to an enormous gate held closed by a slip of paper. And behind the gate, something stirred in the darkness. "Come closer." It rumbled in a thunderous voice. As she did, a huge paw slammed into the gate, claws reaching through to nearly spear her, "I would love nothing better than to escape and devour you, but this damn seal is too strong." The voice rumbled as red eyes the size of Naruto herself opened up.

"You're the Kyuubi!" Naruto exclaimed from where she had fell on her ass.

"Do you have another Bijuu sealed within your stomach?" The Kyuubi said.

"How did you turn me into a girl?" Naruto demanded to know.

"I didn't." The Kyuubi replied indifferently, "There was a part of the seal devoted into transforming you into a boy. It overloaded when you used my chakra. And now you need to wake up or we're going to die." The Kyuubi finished, pushing chakra through the bars of the gate into Naruto.

Ten

Kakashi froze as for the second time in that morning; he felt the Kyuubi's chakra emerging from Naruto. Then she stood up, surrounded by a cloak of red chakra. After looking around and determining the Kakashi and Sakura were alright and receiving a surprise when she saw Sasuke awake and standing up with Sakura's help, she turned to the thugs and charged. As several of his buddies around him hesitated, one very stupid thug shouted, "Come on, it's just one brat!" And then charged himself. Needless to say, he was the first to die as Naruto met him head on and opened his throat with a swipe of her claw like fingernails. But he wasn't the last as Naruto dove into the center of the horde punching and clawing until about half of Gatou's private army was left. The remaining thugs turned and ran. A moment later the cloak of the Kyuubi's chakra disappeared and Naruto was left staring at her bloodied hands and the bodies around her. She fell to her hands and knees and threw up.

Kakashi walked forward to speak to Naruto, "Naruto, I know it's hard, your first kill. Let alone a couple dozen in one battle, but you're going to be okay."

"Really, Kakashi-sensei?" She asked, getting up and turning to face him. This proved to be a mistake because while Sasuke's and Haku's faces were blank, Sakura and Tazuna were openly afraid. "Sakura-chan?"

"Naruto?" Sakura questioned back as if unsure this was Naruto she was talking to.

"I…" Naruto for once found herself unable to say anything.

A/N

Next Time-Aftermath of the Battle. Also I want to apologize to my few readers for pulling the first version of BKN down once again.


	2. Aftermath of the Battle

Disclaimer-Naruto isn't mine and I plead with Viz and Kishimoto and whoever else not to sue. You wouldn't get anything, I'm poor.

"Blah."=Speech

'Blah'=Thoughts

D the Stampede presents

Blonde Kitsune Naruto

Chapter Two-The Aftermath of the Battle

One

That evening, back at Tazuna's house, Naruto was absent from the dinner table. "Sakura, Sasuke, do you know where Naruto is?" Kakashi asked his other two students.

"She's still in the bathroom, compulsively washing her hands." Sakura answered, actually showing concern for her blonde teammate, "She's already scrubbed them raw."

With a sigh, Kakashi got up and said, "I'll go talk with him. Wait, why did you refer to Naruto as she?"

"Because at some time during the battle he became a girl. When I demanded to know why he was in a Henge, she checked herself, screamed, and fainted." Sakura answered, still sounding confused about it. Kakashi and Sasuke stared at the pink-haired girl, speechless. Not that that was much of a change for Sasuke.

"Umm… Right, I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that." Kakashi said to the unasked question in the eyes of everyone around the table, "Sakura, help Sasuke up, we've got to talk to Naruto."

Two

They found Naruto, as Sakura had said, in the bathroom washing her hands. Kakashi walked over and shut the water off, getting her attention, "Naruto, we have to talk."

"Kakashi-sensei?" The blonde questioned.

"You teammates and I need to know what happened to you on the bridge." Kakashi replied seriously, "I think I might have an idea, but I can't tell."

"Do I have to?" Naruto fairly whined, looking at Sakura mainly and recalling the look of fear on her face earlier in the day.

"Yes." Kakashi replied simply, but not without some pity for the blonde.

"Alright, but I should also tell Haku, too." Naruto decided.

"Naruto, are you sure about that?" Kakashi asked while Sasuke frowned at the thought of the feminine boy who had beaten him. Sakura just looked at Naruto like she had lost her mind.

"Yeah." Naruto said quietly. And so, Team 7 headed to the guest room where Kakashi had left Zabuza's apprentice tied up and his chakra suppressed with a seal on his back. Once there, Kakashi closed the door and placed a seal on it before activating said seal with a small amount of chakra, "Kakashi-sensei, what's that?" Naruto asked.

"Privacy seal. You're about to reveal an S-class secret of Kohona to your teammates and our new friend here, after all." Kakashi replied.

"Oh." Naruto said.

"Hn. The dead-last, know an S-class secret?" Sasuke questioned in disbelief.

"Bastard!" Naruto shouted at him, showing some of her normal fire.

"Yes, Sasuke, Naruto does know one of Kohona's greatest secrets." Kakashi said.

"Okay." Naruto said, collecting herself, "Right, what do you know about the Fourth Hokage's defeat of the Kyuubi?" She asked in a surprising serious tone of voice.

"The Fourth killed it at the cost of his own life. Where are you going with this?" Sakura asked back.

However, it was Haku who realized it first, "The Bijuu can't be killed. They can only be sealed away. You are the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."

"What?" Sakura and Sasuke shouted in unison.

"Yeah, Haku is right. The Fourth's final technique was a seal that trapped the damned fox in a newborn. Me." Naruto replied.

"So that red chakra that surrounded you when you attacked Gatou's thugs was the Kyuubi's chakra?" Sakura questioned shakily.

"Yeah, but I first used it when I thought Haku had killed Sasuke." Naruto told her.

"Right, well remember that this is an S-class secret and it's treason to reveal what you now know to anyone else." Kakashi told Sakura and Sasuke, "In fact, only the Hokage and Naruto are exempt from this law."

"Wait, you generation all knows, don't they?" Sakura asked, "I mean all the civilians and many of the ninja hate Naruto to much for it to be about her pranks."

"Yes, it was the Fourth's last wish that Naruto be seen as a hero for containing the Kyuubi, so the Third, after being reinstated, honored it and announced it to the village." Kakashi answered, "The calls for Naruto's death started immediately. So ultimately, the Third wrote a law forbidding anyone from telling your generation about Naruto being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."

"How did the dobe find out?" Sasuke asked.

"Your academy instructor Mizuki turned traitor and convinced Naruto to steal the forbidden scroll of sealing saying it was another test to get promoted to Genin." Kakashi started to explain.

"Yeah, then that bastard tried to kill me and Iruka-sensei and take the scroll for himself, but not before he told me about the Kyuubi. But I had learned the Kage Bunshin from the scroll and beat him down. And afterwards, Iruka-sensei promoted me to Genin and treated me to ramen." Naruto finished.

"Well, that does sum it up." Kakashi said, "But it doesn't explain how you turned into a girl during your battle with Haku here."

"Well, after Sakura pointed out to me that I had turned into a girl and I passed out…" Naruto started.

"More like you screamed and fainted." Sakura interjected.

"Ummm. Right. After that, I kinda met the Kyuubi itself and it said something about part of the seal turning me into a guy breaking when I channeled it's chakra to fight Haku. Then it said we were still in danger and gave me more of its chakra and then I woke up and fought that army of thugs." Naruto explained.

"You met the Kyuubi?" Was Sakura's exclamation that followed this revelation.

Kakashi was more interested in something else Naruto had said, "It said part of the seal broke?" He asked.

"Yeah, but it also said that the main part of the seal was still strong and holding it back." Naruto answered.

"This is all interesting, but what are you all planning to do with me?" Haku asked.

"Kakashi-sensei, we don't have to kill him, do we?" Naruto asked her sensei.

"Well, technically, he stopped being the enemy the moment Gatou betrayed him." Kakashi replied.

Naruto nodded and pulled out a kunai, turning towards Haku, "Are you finally going to kill me like I asked?" Haku questioned her.

"Is that still what you want?" Naruto asked back.

"Yes. I failed Zabuza-san and have nothing again." Haku replied. Naruto's kunai descended, neatly cutting the ropes binding Haku. The room tensed as Haku stood and removed the chakra suppressing seal from his back, but he just looked Naruto in the eyes and asked, "Why?"

"Remember how I said that if the circumstances had been different, we could have been friends?" Naruto asked. Haku nodded, "Well, the circumstances are different. I want to be friends."

Haku was lost in thought for several moments before he answered, "I think I would like that." He then turned to Kakashi and asked, "Is it possible for me to join Kohonagakure no Sato as a shinobi?"

"Maybe, were you ever a shinobi of Kirigakure no Sato?" Kakashi questioned.

"No." Haku answered.

"That's one less obstacle to you joining Kohona. May I ask why you wish to join?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes. I wish to join to be closer to my new friend Naruto-san, Kakashi-san." Haku answered.

"That's a decent reason. However, what can you do to prove you intentions to Kohona?" Kakashi asked, "Keep in mind that no matter what you'll have to be interviewed by the Torture and Interrogation department upon our return to Kohona."

"I am aware." Haku stated, "As for proving my intentions now, how would leading you to Gatou's office work? Certainly, Kohona would benefit from seizing his fortune?"

"True." Kakashi agreed, "Not to mention shutting down his illegal operations. Very well, you'll lead me there tomorrow." Then, turning to his students, he added, "Sakura, you will look after Sasuke. Naruto, you will continue to guard Tazuna." Then, slicing his thumb with a kunai, he summoned Pakkun the pug.

"Yeah, Kakashi?" The dog asked.

Pulling a scroll and pen from his equipment pouch, Kakashi began writing and said, "Pakkun, I have to have you deliver this report to the Hokage right away." A little while later, he finished the report, sealed the scroll and handed it to the pug, who took it in his mouth and vanished in a puff of smoke. Then, pulling his privacy seal down, Kakashi said, "Alright, we're missing Tsunami-san's delicious dinner, so how about we head back downstairs?"

Three

The next day, Haku led Kakashi to Gatou's mansion, which they infiltrated with ease due to most of Gatou's hired thugs having fled after the battle on the bridge. It was slightly trickier finding the hidden safe in his office, but still was rather easy. It was in the floor under his desk.

Four

Naruto, meanwhile, was quickly growing bored sitting around and watching Tazuna and his construction build the bridge. So she walked up to the old bridge builder and asked if she could do something. And so, when Kakashi and Haku returned from their trip to Gatou's mansion with his files on all his business activities stored away in a scroll, it was to see a bunch of Narutos aiding in the bridge's construction however they could while under Tazuna's direction. "Naruto!" Kakashi shouted over the noise of the construction. Two dozen blondes in orange tracksuits stopped what they were doing to turn to his voice. "The real one." He added. One of the Narutos patching the holes in the bridge from Kakashi's dogs walked over to him while the others went back to what they were doing, "What are you doing?" Kakashi asked.

"I was bored!" Naruto exclaimed.

"That's not the point. We are here to guard Tazuna until the bridge finished, not to serve as labor for him." Kakashi scolded mildly.

"But the danger's all gone." Naruto whined.

"Maybe, maybe not, a good shinobi is always on guard." Kakashi replied, "Just go back to watching for trouble, okay? I'll teach you something tonight."

"Okay!" Naruto exclaimed, dismissing her clones.

Tazuna blinked as a good deal of his work force went up in smoke. He walked over to where Kakashi, Naruto and Haku were standing and asked Kakashi, "What's the big deal?"

"We are here as your bodyguards, not your labor force." Kakashi replied simply.

"Oh, okay. She wasn't doing anything that important, anyway." Tazuna said, shrugging, "We're still on schedule, so the bridge should be finished in two weeks."

Five

Back at Tazuna's house that evening, after dinner, Kakashi led Naruto and Sakura, who was supporting Sasuke, onto the pier behind the house. He then jumped on to the water and said, "This is the next chakra control exercise after tree walking. It is more difficult than tree walking of course. For water walking, you have to continuously release a tiny amount of chakra from your feet to the water's surface constantly adjusting that amount to just allow your body to float. Okay, Sakura, Naruto, get to it." Naruto leapt off the pier sending chakra to her feet and immediately fell in.

"Cold!" She shouted, erupting from the water's surface to grab the pier and lift herself out of the water. Sakura, meanwhile, took a more cautious approach. From a sitting position, she set her feet on the water and adjusted the amount of chakra she was sending to them until they were floating on top of the water then stood. She wobbled in place for a few moments and then fell in.

"That was excellent for a first attempt, Sakura. Especially considering you tried to do it the hard way." Kakashi said.

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she fished herself out of the water.

"It's very difficult to adjust from supporting your feet to your full weight in a second like that." Kakashi explained, "In fact, the easiest way to start learning this exercise is to walk onto the water from the shore while channeling your chakra to your feet and adjusting your chakra output as you go."

"Then why did you lead us out here, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto demanded to know.

"Well, you were bound to fall in at least a few times, anyway." Kakashi replied with a shrug.

"I think I've got it!" Sakura exclaimed as she stood on the water.

His eye widening slightly in surprise, Kakashi congratulated the pink-haired girl, "Excellent, Sakura. Now try walking." Sakura did as instructed with no apparent difficulty. Naruto, meanwhile, fell in again. After about half a dozen attempts, Naruto started to get the hang of the exercise as well. Although, she was still ankle deep in the water. Sakura, meanwhile, tired in about only ten minutes.

Six

A week later, Sasuke had recovered from being put in a false-death state by Haku and it was his turn to learn water walking. He got it on the first try due to having watched the girls do it with his sharingan active. Sakura, meanwhile, was still doing the exercise to the point of exhaustion to increase her chakra reserves and was up to half an hour of water walking at a time. Naruto was facing Kakashi in Taijutsu only spars in order to adjust to her new center of balance as well as improve upon her rather bad taijutsu skills. Haku on the other hand was still deeply depressed about the loss of Zabuza. He had insisted upon destroying Zabuza's body himself, but had allowed Kakashi to seal away Zabuza's head for the bounty and Kubikiri Bouchou to ransom back to Kirigukure no Sato.

Seven

Another week passed and the bridge was completed. It was time for Team 7 and Haku to leave Wave Country and head back to Kohona. Tazuna and his family were there to see them off as they crossed the new bridge to Fire Country. "Thanks to you, we've completed the bridge, but it's super sad to see you go." Tazuna commented at their parting.

"Thank you for everything." Kakashi replied.

Naruto was more focused on Tazuna's grandson, Inari, who was on the verge of tears upon seeing his new friend and heroine leave "Don't worry. We'll come visit." She told him.

"You better…" Inari replied.

"Inari, you're sad aren't you? It's okay to cry." Naruto said.

"I'm not going to cry, but Naruto, you can, too." Inari told her.

"Fine. Later." Naruto said as she turned on her heel. Both she and Inari started crying as soon as her back was turned.

'Geez, their like twins!' Sakura thought in annoyance.

As they watched team 7 and Haku leave, Tazuna said, "I have a super perfect name for the bridge."

"Oh? What is it?" Tsunami asked.

"How about the Great Naruto Bridge?" Tazuna replied, "He he. That's a good name."

Eight

The cloaked figure watched Team 7 and Haku walk away under an invisibility genjutsu. 'So, that is the container of the Kyuubi Bijuu.' It thought, focusing on Naruto. It then followed.

A/N

Next time-Team 7 is debriefed by the Hokage, Jiraiya inspects the seal, Haku is interrogated and more. Please read and review! Oh, and I have an important poll up on my profile. Please vote!


	3. Hokage, Ero-Godfather and Kitsune

Disclaimer-Naruto isn't mine and I plead with Viz and Kishimoto and whoever else not to sue. You wouldn't get anything, I'm poor.

"Blah."=Speech

'Blah'=Thoughts

D the Stampede presents

Blonde Kitsune Naruto

Chapter Three-Hokage, Ero-Godfather and the Kitsune

One

Despite Naruto's protesting that she wanted to go to Ichiraku for ramen, Team 7 and Haku reported directly to the Hokage's office. The Hokage was waiting for them along with another man who looked rather odd even for a ninja. He appeared to be late middle-age with long white hair in a spiky ponytail and was wearing geta sandals, a long red vest over a white shirt and pants and mesh armor beneath that. His forehead protector had horns and the Kanji for oil instead of the standard Kohona leaf symbol. Oh, and he had a large scroll on his back. The matter of who he was settled by Kakashi who pulled out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise and asked, "Please sign it, Jiraiya-sama?"

"Jiraiya-sama writes the porn that Kakashi-sensei is always reading!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Not now, Kakashi. I'm here to examine the seal." Jiraiya said, ignoring Sakura's shout.

"Jiraiya, if you would please put up your best privacy seal first." The Hokage stated.

"Of course, sensei." Jiraiya replied, placing a seal on the wall and activating it. Then he turned his attention to Naruto, "Now, come here, Naruto. Okay, good. Now remove your jacket and lift up your shirt to show me your stomach." Naruto compiled, "Okay, one more thing, channel some chakra so the seal becomes visible." Then Jiraiya went about his work examining the seal, 'Let's see… Two tetragram seals… a double seal… An eight-signed seal formula, huh… So any of the Kyuubi's chakra that leaks through the tetragram seal will be suppressed by and meshed with Naruto's own chakra. What's this? There was an additional part of the seal. Ah, a Fuuinjutsu variant of a henge powered by the Kyuubi's chakra.' Jiraiya finished his examination and said, "Okay, Naruto, put your shirt down."

"Well?" the blonde asked.

"Minato always was brilliant." Jiraiya stated with pride, "He added a long team henge into the seal to transform you from a girl into a boy. The Kyuubi was speaking the truth."

"Minato?" Naruto questioned, confused.

"The Fourth Hokage, Naruto. You know your idol?" Sakura said, "Namikaze Minato was his name."

"You can fix it, right?" Naruto pleaded with Jiraiya.

"Huh?" Jiraiya replied, "Fix what?"

"The seal, of course!" Naruto exclaimed.

"No, Naruto, I can't. Attempting it could damage the main part of the seal, killing you and freeing the Kyuubi." Jiraiya explained, "But look at the bright side."

"Huh? What's that?" Naruto asked.

"If you take after your mother, you'll be a knockout when you're finished growing." Jiraiya replied.

"I…" Naruto started, at a loss of what to say before saying, "You knew my mother?"

"I should hope so, what with being named your godfather." Jiraiya replied.

"What?" Was the universal exclamation of the Genin of team 7.

Then Naruto punched Jiraiya in the stomach and shouted, "Where the hell have you been, Ero-godfather?"

Coughing and bending over, Jiraiya paused to recover before saying, "I've wanted to be here, Naru-chan, but I've been busy with being Kohona's spymaster. Wait, why did you call me Ero-godfather?"

"Because you're a porn writing pervert! And don't call me Naru-chan!" Naruto shouted.

'Well, she takes after her mother in temperament at least.' The three adults in the room thought, 'definitely the Red-Hot Blooded Habanero's daughter.'

"This can't be happening." Naruto continued, "I can't be a girl." She added, sounding close to a breakdown.

"And what's wrong with being a girl?" Sakura demanded.

"What if you suddenly turned into a boy?" Naruto snapped back at Sakura. Sakura found that she didn't have an answer for that. They were interrupted by a cloaked figure teleporting into the room suddenly.

While everyone tensed and prepared for an attack, the Hokage demanded of Jiraiya, "Didn't you include an anti-Shunshin seal into that privacy seal?"

"Yes, I also sealed the door and windows shut." Jiraiya added.

"Calm please, I come in peace." The figure stated, throwing aside its cloak to reveal a silver-haired man with fox ears and nine fox tails. There was a moment of silent disbelief from everyone in the room. "I am Kurama, head of the Kitsune clan." He stated amusement apparent in his golden fox eyes.

"Ero-godfather, I thought you said the main part of the seal was intact." Naruto said to Jiraiya accusingly.

"It is!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"I see that a history lesson is in order." Kurama stated, "We kitsune existed long before the Rikudou Sennin appeared in this world and invented modern Ninjutsu. As allies, we helped him fight and defeat the Juubi with him sealing its power into his body while he encased its body in the moon. Later, when he could no longer contain the Juubi, he split it into the nine Biju you now know of, most in the image of existing creatures. We were honored when he chose to make the Kyuubi in our image and use the name Kurama when naming it."

"But you said Kurama was your name." Naruto said.

"That it is. Kurama is a common name among us kitsune. In truth, I was but a single-tailed kit when all this happened." Kurama said, "However, don't you wish to know my business here?"

"If you would tell us, Kurama-sama." The Hokage said, lighting his pipe.

"After near a century of debate, it has been decide the offer the Uzumaki clan this." Kurama stated as a large scroll appeared out of nowhere.

"Is that what I think it is?" Kakashi asked.

"If you believe it to be a summoning contract with us kitsune, then you are correct. As a seal-master, Jiraiya may examine it before the young Uzumaki decides." Kurama answered.

After examining the scroll at length, Jiraiya stated, "It's a standard summoning contract except for the clause that it can only be signed by an Uzumaki. Why is that?" He asked Kurama.

"Because the Uzumaki have been the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi since it went rogue with Uchiha Madara and attempted to destroy Kohona almost a century ago." Kurama stated.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

It was the Hokage who answered, "Naruto, you are not the first Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. The first was the First Hokage's wife, Uzumaki Mito, who sealed it within herself during the First's battle with Madara. When she grew old, a second Jinchuuriki was chosen. Your mother, Uzumaki Kushina."

"Wait, if my mother was the Jinchuuriki, what happened?" Naruto asked.

"Well, there is one thing that greatly weakens the seal, childbirth. So, your mother was taken from the village to a hidden location to give birth while the Fourth Hokage made sure the Kyuubi remained in the seal. We're still not certain exactly what happened next although we believe they were attacked by someone who unleashed the Kyuubi on Kohona due to the way the ANBU guards and the mid-wives were killed. Your mother survived the extraction of the Kyuubi long enough to aid the Fourth in resealing it into you." The Hokage explained.

"Ahem." Kurama coughed, drawing everyone's attention back to him, "There is still the matter of the summoning contract I bought with me to present to the young Uzumaki."

"As my goddaughter, I was planning on having her sign on with the toads." Jiraiya pointed out.

"Perhaps, but the fact remains that we are offering the contract only to her and thus she is the only one who can seal our alliance with Kohonagakure no Sato." Kurama stated simply.

"Can't I sign both?" Naruto asked.

"No!" Jiraiya and Kurama shouted as one.

"The toads are too proud to share a signee with another animal clan." Jiraiya added.

"As are we kitsune." Kurama agreed.

"I hate to say it, but I believe you should sign with the kitsune." Jiraiya said after a moment's thought, "I can find another to sign on with the toads."

"Agreed, the kitsune are supposed to be a major animal clan." The Hokage added.

"But… There are people who believe I'm the Kyuubi. If I start summoning foxes…" Naruto said, sounding unsure.

"It never pays to listen to the opinions of fools." Kurama said.

"Yeah, it's not like the scroll with a kunai sealed in it is a kunai." Sakura added.

"Hn… You're the academy's dead-last with the dream of being Hokage." Sasuke said.

"We've only just met, but I can tell you're a good person." Haku threw in.

"Okay." Naruto said to Kurama, "What do I do?"

"First, you sign name on the scroll in your own blood and make the impressions of the fingerprints of one hand." Naruto did so, drawing the blood by biting her right thumb, "Then when you want to summon one of us, draw blood again and make the following signs, boar, dog, rooster, monkey, sheep and place the hand with which you signed the contract palm down on the ground. Good, our business is concluded for now." That said Kurama vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Right, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, you are dismissed. Kakashi, remain to deliver your final mission report. Haku, I'll summon ANBU to take you to the Torture and Interrogation Division. Jiraiya, if you would take down your privacy seal." The Hokage commanded.

Two

Outside the Hokage tower, Naruto prepared to rush off to Ichiraku shouting, "Now it's time for ramen!" Only to be stopped by Sakura.

"Oh no, I'm taking you clothes shopping. Those awful orange tracksuits of yours look even worse on you as a girl, if that's possible." She told Naruto. Then she turned to Sasuke and said, "Isn't that right Sasuke?"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, completely disinterested, "I'm going to go train." He added, walking away.

"Oh." Sakura replied. Then after they stopped by her house and Naruto's apartment to drop off their packs, she dragged Naruto off shopping.

Three

Meanwhile, an ANBU had delivered Haku to Morino Ibiki's office. The head of Torture and Interrogation read the orders delivered by the ANBU and then as the ANBU left to retrieve Yamanaka Inochi, he said to Haku, "If you're sincere in your wish to join Kohona's ranks, you have nothing to worry about. However, Inochi is the head of the Yamanaka clan for good reason and he will discover if you're attempting to deceive us when he examines your mind." He left unsaid what would happen if that were the case.

"I understand." Haku replied.

Four

A while later, Naruto and Sakura finished clothes shopping for Naruto and headed to Ichiraki for ramen. Naruto was wearing one of her new outfits, having returned the rest home and changed. It consisted of a pair of blue pants, a simple blue pullover top to match and unfortunately, at least in Sakura's opinion, an orange jacket that the tailor had added the Uzumaki spiral to the back of. Oh, and the proper underwear of course, which had embarrassed the former boy to no end to have to buy. Not to mention being measured for the bra. "Hey, Ayame-chan, Teuchi-jiji." Naruto greeted.

"Naruto-kun." Ayame responded before doing a double-take, "Naruto, why are you henged as a girl?" She exclaimed, attracting Teuchi's attention.

"It's not a henge." Naruto said flatly. Before she could elaborate, Iruka walked up to the stand, looking for a bowl of ramen.

"What's not a henge?" He asked, sitting down next to Naruto before really looking at her.

"Me being a girl." Naruto replied.

"Huh?" Iruka replied intelligently, looking at Naruto and seeing that, yes, she was a girl.

"It's a long story." Sakura told Ayame, Teuchi and Iruka.

"Part of the seal maintained a long-term henge into a boy and it broke during our C-ranked mission which wasn't a C-ranked mission because a businessman named Gatou had hired missing-nin to kill Tazuna-jiji." Naruto managed to say in one breath.

There was a long moment of silence before Iruka said, "Tell me everything."

"You're buying the ramen." Naruto told him.

A/N

Next time-Haku joins Kohona's Genin ranks and team 7 begins training for the Chunin exams. Please read and review. Oh, and I'm kinda disappointed with the response to my poll. Only eight votes? Three of which were wondering who Joker is when I've put a profile for him up in my profile? Oh, well. –Shrugs- He's in, three votes to two. Poll closed.


	4. Training for the Chunin Exams, Part One

Disclaimer-Naruto isn't mine and I plead with Viz and Kishimoto and whoever else not to sue. You wouldn't get anything, I'm poor.

"Blah."=Speech

'Blah'=Thoughts

D the Stampede presents

Blonde Kitsune Naruto

Chapter Four-Training for the Chunin Exam, Part One

One

The next morning, Ibiki delivered Inochi's report to the Hokage, "Interesting…" The Hokage said as he read, "Lack of self-worth due to his father's murder of his mother and attempted murder of himself. Co-dependence on Momochi Zabuza due to that same lack. Inochi believes that co-dependence transferred to Naruto due to her offer of friendship after Zabuza's death?" This was a question directed at Ibiki.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Ibiki replied, "His entire reason for joining Kohona's shinobi corps is based on that friendship."

"Interesting…" The Hokage repeated, "His level of skill?"

"High-end Chunin, Low Jounin when his Kekkei Genkai is considered." Ibiki stated.

The Hokage paused in thought before saying, "Well, then we must make sure he remains close to Naruto. There is an apartment available in the building she lives in, make sure he gets it. I'll assign him the rank of Genin and place him on a team that needs a third Genin to participate in the Chunin Exams. I believe Tetsuo's team recently lost a member on a C-rank?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Ibiki replied to the mostly rhetorical question.

"Yes, that will do. Have him brought to me and I'll summon Tetsuo and his Genin to meet the new member of their team." The Hokage commanded.

Two

Meanwhile, Kakashi and Jiraiya were having their own meeting atop a building that overlooked Kohona's hot springs. Well, to be honest, Jiraiya had summoned Kakashi there so that he could peek on the women's bath with his telescope while speaking to Kakashi, "So, Kakashi, what do you plan to do about the upcoming Chunin exam?"

"Well, I was planning to enter Team 7 into them." Kakashi replied.

"You really think they're ready?" Jiraiya asked flatly.

"Well, they should be fine." Kakashi said.

Jiraiya sighed and turned to Kakashi, giving him his full attention, "That wasn't what I asked, Kakashi, and you know it. Again, do you think they are ready?"

Under the full weight of Jiraiya's scrutiny, Kakashi wavered and admitted, "Maybe not."

"Well, then there's only one thing to do." Jiraiya stated, "Get them trained up so they are ready."

"Huh?" Kakashi replied in surprise. That hadn't been what he had expected from this line of questioning.

"I'm going to help you train them. Now then, tell me their strengths and weaknesses." Jiraiya commanded.

"Um… right. Sakura has excellent chakra control, in fact she mastered tree-walking in one go and water-walking in two, and she is book smart. I swear she swallowed the academy texts sometimes. Weaknesses, well she only knows the basics, having come from a civilian family and a huge crush on Sasuke that is a constant distraction." Kakashi said.

"Great. She's mostly likely a Genjutsu-type or maybe a medic, neither of which things are either of us can teach her much about. We'll need help with her. Tell me; is Kasumi-chan still the head of Kohona's hospital?" Jiraiya said.

"She is." Kakashi confirmed.

"Good, I think I'll look her up." Jiraiya stated, "Now, on to the other two."

"Naruto has huge reserves of chakra, can use the Kage Bunshin in a manner no one else ever has and of course has that new summoning contract with the kitsune. Weaknesses, well the Kage Bunshin, Kawarimi and Henge are the only jutsu she knows and she's brash and rushes headlong into things." Kakashi summed up.

"Clarify about the Kage Bunshin, please."

"She can use dozens or hundreds at once, Jiraiya-sama."

"Oh…" Jiraiya said, "On to Sasuke, please."

"Skilled in fire ninjutsu, has activated the sharingan, great in taijutsu, and trick kunai and shuriken throwing. Basically, strong in the areas the Uchiha were known for. Weakness, he's a loner who doesn't work well with others. In fact, between Naruto's one-sided rivalry with him and Sakura's crush, their teamwork is bad all-around." Kakashi concluded.

"Okay, lots of work to do here. Luckily, we have a few months before the exam." Jiraiya stated.

Three

Haku soon found himself back in the Hokage's office, "First of all, welcome to Kohona's ranks." The Hokage stated, indicating that Haku take the Kohona forehead protector on his desk, "Now then, I've placed you on a Genin team that needs another member to take the upcoming Chunin exam. They should be here to meet you soon. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Haku said, tying his new forehead protector around his head, "What about Naruto?"

"Ah, yes, I was informed that your new friendship with her is important to you and have gotten you an apartment in her building." The Hokage stated.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Haku said, bowing.

It was then that there was a knock on the door, "Come in." The Hokage said. The door opened and in came a rather plain looking man with black hair and brown eyes wearing the standard Jounin outfit for Kohona. Following him were two thirteen year-old Genin, one boy and one girl. The boy was of average height for his age, had brown hair and eyes and wore a Chinese-style silk shirt and kung-fu pants and slippers instead of the usual shinobi sandals. The girl, although Haku wouldn't know it, was obviously a Nara from her resemblance to Nara Shikaku and Shikamaru. She even wore the pineapple-like ponytail. "Ah, Tetsuo, welcome." The Hokage addressed the Jounin, "How is your Genin team?"

"They miss Hiroshi, of course. And they're eager to get back to missions, aren't you two?"

"Yes, sensei." They replied in unison.

"Good, good. Because I have a replacement third Genin to your team here." The Hokage stated, pointing to Haku.

The boy's reaction was immediate. He rushed up to Haku, grabbed his hand and said, "Hey, cutie, I'm Tenma. What's your name?"

"Haku." Haku introduced himself with a frown, and added, "I'm a boy, by the way."

Tenma jumped back as if scalded and shouted, "Cross-dresser!" He got punched in the back of the head by his teammate for his trouble.

"Excuse the idiot for his stupidity, Haku. I'm Nara Nabiki." She said.

Tenma glared at her while rubbing the back of his head and pouted, "Great, my new male teammate is cuter than the team girl." This earned him another blow to the head.

Tetsuo laughed at his students' antics and said, "Oh, I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

"Yes." The Hokage said, "I'm sure. In fact, I've arranged for your team to enter the upcoming Chunin exam already."

Four

Kakashi arrived at the bridge that was Team 7's meeting place to Naruto and Sakura's shouts of, "You're late."

"Sorry, Jiraiya-sama summoned me to meet him this morning. I have good news, though. He has agreed to help me train you for the upcoming Chunin exam." Kakashi reported.

"Liar!" Sakura shouted, "That's the worst lie you've come up with for being late, ever! No rookie team has participated in the exam for five years!"

"Except, Sakura-chan, it isn't a lie." Jiraiya said as he appeared behind them and made them all jump in surprise.

"Ero-godfather, don't do that!" Naruto shouted as she turned to face Jiraiya. She then noted that the toad sage wasn't alone and asked, "Who's she?"

The rather plain middle-aged woman in medic's whites laughed and said, "Ero-godfather? Your goddaughter sure has you pegged, Jiraiya-sama. Anyways, the name is Kasumi and I'm here to teach one Haruno Sakura to be a medic-nin." She looked over Sakura and added, "You sure don't look like much, though. If it wasn't for Jiraiya-sama's recommendation and Kakashi-san's notes about your exceptional chakra control, I wouldn't consider it. As the head of the hospital I'm busy enough as it is. Anyways, let's go. It's time for your first lesson." She finished, leading Sakura away.

"Huh?" Naruto said, "Where are they going?"

"To the hospital, Naru-chan. Like Kasumi-chan said, she is very busy running it. You'll see Sakura-chan later." Jiraiya told her, "Now it's our turn to be off."

"Where are we going, Ero-godfather?" Naruto asked.

"A little ways out of town so I can teach you more about summoning. Besides it's probably time for you to learn to use the Kyuubi's chakra at will." Jiraiya stated.

Behind their backs, Sasuke scowled, 'Why does the Dead-last get one-on-one training with one of the Sennin?' He thought.

"Well, Sasuke-kun, guess that just leaves you and me for now." Kakashi stated as he led Sasuke to Team 7's regular training grounds.

Five

After arriving at Team 7's training grounds, Kakashi handed Sasuke a piece of paper. "What's this?" Sasuke asked.

"A special type of paper used to test one's elemental affinity." Kakashi informed him.

"I'm an Uchiha. My elemental affinity is fire." Sasuke said.

"Well, the Uchiha were known for their mastery of fire jutsu, but affinities don't always follow family lines." Kakashi stated, "So, channel some chakra into the paper and let's see." Sasuke did so and the paper crumpled up before burning, "Huh. You have two affinities, Sasuke-kun and fire is your secondary one."

"And my primary affinity?" Sasuke asked.

"Lightning, which is very rare outside of Lightning and Iron countries. However, you are in luck, as it is also my primary affinity." Kakashi said, "By the way it's also rare for someone your age to have two affinities, but I guess we can put that down to your extensive training in fire jutsu. Anyways, on to your exercise." He said, handing Sasuke a leaf.

"What do I do with this?" Sasuke asked.

"The goal is to channel lightning chakra into the leaf and crumple it like the paper crumpled. Take a shot at it." Kakashi instructed.

Sasuke channeled chakra into the leaf, but it caught fire instead of crumpling. He dropped the burning leaf as it burnt his fingers, "Ouch."

"Wrong chakra nature." Kakashi told him, handing him another leaf. Sasuke took it with a glare, "Now, Sasuke, don't be that way. It can take weeks or months to master this exercise."

'Weeks? Months? Will I ever catch up to that man in power?' Sasuke thought before trying again, 'No, can't doubt myself. I must get stronger to avenge the clan.'

Six

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Sakura and Kasumi had arrived at Kasumi's office. Kasumi sat down behind her desk and motioned for Sakura to sit in one of her guest chairs, "So, from what I hear, you have a sharp mind to go with your exceptional chakra control, but have wasted both on a fangirlish crush on the last Uchiha." Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but Kasumi cut her off, "I will not tolerate that, do you understand?"

"It's not a crush!" Sakura protested.

"Wrong answer!" Kasumi exclaimed throwing a book at Sakura's forehead. It struck hard enough to snap the young konoichi's head back then fell into her lap, "Now then, what is the medic-nin's first priority?"

"To heal their teammates?" Sakura questioned, rubbing the growing bruise on her forehead.

"Absolutely wrong! It is the first duty of the medic-nin to keep themselves healthy. Kind of hard to heal your teammates if you're dead." Kasumi told her, "We will be practicing on your defense later, but for now, read from that book."

Sakura turned the book in her lap over to find that it was a thick text on human anatomy. Rubbing her forehead again, she started reading.

Seven

"Okay, Naru-chan. First things first. I want you to drain most of your chakra." Jiraiya instructed.

"What? Why?" Naruto questioned, "And don't call me Naru-chan, Ero-godfather!"

"Well, don't you call me Ero-godfather! And I ask because it should allow you to access the Kyuubi's chakra easier." Jiraiya explained.

"Why use the Kyuubi's chakra?" Naruto asked.

"Ignoring having the Kyuubi's chakra would be like ignoring a gift from above. Besides, summoning an important member of a major animal clan takes lots of chakra." Jiraiya said, "So, get on it."

"Alright!" Naruto said and filled the clearing they were in full of Kage Bunshin. She then turned to one of her clones and punched it in the face. From there, the brawl of the Narutos was on. Eventually, it was an exhausted but excited Naruto who stood in front of Jiraiya and asked, "What now?"

"Now, you give summoning a go." Jiraiya replied.

"Okay!" That said, Naruto drew blood by biting her thumb, went through the hand seals for summoning and with a shout of, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" She slapped her hand to the ground. There was a puff of smoke and a cat-sized kitsune kit appeared.

'That's it?' Jiraiya thought before saying aloud, "Nice try, Naru-chan."

"What do you mean "Nice try!"" Naruto shouted at him, "What's he supposed to do? Bite my enemy's heel?" She added, pointing at the kit.

"I'm a girl! And my name is Yoko!" The kit shouted before biting the finger pointed at her.

'Yes, there's a lot of work to do.' Jiraiya thought as he watched Naruto start shaking her hand, trying to dislodge Yoko.

A/N

Next time-Training for the Exams, Part Two As always, I ask that you read and review.


	5. Training for the Chunin Exams, Part Two

Disclaimer-Naruto isn't mine and I plead with Viz and Kishimoto and whoever else not to sue. You wouldn't get anything, I'm poor.

"Blah."=Speech

'Blah'=Thoughts

D the Stampede presents

Blonde Kitsune Naruto

Chapter Five-Training for the Chunin Exams, Part Two

One

On her fifth failed attempt to summon a kitsune larger than Yoko the kit, Naruto collapsed. "Is she okay?" Yoko asked Jiraiya.

"She should be fine; it's just a little case of chakra exhaustion." Jiraiya reassured the kit.

"But all she's been doing is summoning me." Yoko said, confused.

"Well, in an attempt to make it easier for her to access the Kyuubi's chakra, I had her exhaust most of her regular chakra first." Jiraiya explained.

Two

Meanwhile, Naruto found herself in a familiar sewer. Soon, she was standing in front of the seal itself, staring at a sleeping Kyuubi. Following her usual impulsiveness, she shouted at the Kyuubi, "Wake up!" She was rewarded with a deafening roar and the clang of claws on metal as the Kyuubi tried to spear her with said claws again.

"What do you want, human." The Bijuu snarled at her, "I was having a good dream, there."

"I need your chakra." Naruto said, glaring back at the Kyuubi.

"Why? You are in no danger." The Kyuubi stated, "Unless… We make a deal."

"Huh? What do you want?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"Revenge!" The Kyuubi roared at a deafening volume, then rumbled in a lower tone of voice, "The masked Uchiha who ripped me out of your mother and enslaved me is still alive and I want him dead."

"Just this masked guy?" Naruto questioned.

"I assume he's the only one you'll agree to take revenge upon for me. Besides, this is something you should want to do. He is the reason you have no parents." The Kyuubi rumbled, "Just remember to wait until you're not such a weakling. This Uchiha gave your fourth Hokage a difficult battle." And with those words, the Kyuubi gave Naruto some chakra.

Three

Naruto awoke to the sound of Yoko chewing Jiraiya out, "What do you mean you were trying to make it easier for Naruto to draw upon the Kyuubi's chakra? The Kyuubi is dangerous. What if Naruto loses control?" The kit went silent as Naruto stood up, enveloped in a shroud of the Kyuubi's chakra.

Biting her thumb to draw blood, Naruto flipped through the hand seals for summoning once more and expending the chakra the Kyuubi had given her, slapped her hand to the ground and cried out, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." And then, Naruto, Jiraiya and Yoko found themselves upon the back of an enormous silver-furred kitsune with nine tails.

"Kurama-sama!" Yoko shouted out.

"Huh? This is Kurama?" Naruto asked.

"Of course I'm Kurama!" the kitsune boomed, "We kitsune are natural shape shifters! Now where's the threat you summoned me to deal with?"

"Umm…" Naruto replied, "I was just learning how to summon."

"What?" Kurama roared. He then shrunk rapidly and shifted to his humanoid form, causing Naruto and Jiraiya to lose their footing and fall on their butts in the process. Kurama then turned on Naruto and shouted, "Don't summon me for trivial reasons! I am the head of the Kitsune Clan, after all!"

"Sorry!" Naruto apologized, "It's just that I used Kyuubi's chakra and I guess I might have used too much."

"Apology accepted. Just don't do it again or I might have to reconsider our contract with you." Kurama stated before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Naruto, what did the Kyuubi want in exchange for its chakra?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Umm… It said it wanted revenge on the masked Uchiha that took it out of my mom and used it to attack Kohona twelve years ago." Naruto said, "Wait, how did you know I spoke to the Kyuubi?"

"Well, you were only unconscious from chakra exhaustion for a minute maybe." Jiraiya answered before realizing what Naruto had said, "Wait, a masked Uchiha it said?"

"Yeah." Naruto replied, "One that nearly defeated the fourth Hokage before he drove him off." Yoko hopped onto Naruto's head, "Hey!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm… The Hokage should know about this right away." That said, Jiraiya grabbed Naruto and used the Shunshin no Jutsu to teleport them all to the hokage tower.

Four

Meanwhile, Kakashi had called a halt to the leaf crumpling exercise and was sparring with Sasuke. Or rather, he was stomping him despite the fact that Sasuke had his sharingan active and Kakashi's was covered. "Okay, that's enough." Kakashi called a halt to their fight.

"Why?" Sasuke panted, "I can keep going."

"And we will, after we get some lunch." Kakashi stated.

Five

Sakura fell to her knees panting as Kasumi called a halt to their spar on the hospital roof, "That was pathetic." Kasumi stated simply, "Bare bones academy taijutsu, the three academy ninjutsu and nothing more. Not to mention a serious lack of stamina. Do you do anything with your time besides daydream about Uchiha Sasuke?"

"I…" Sakura began.

"The question is rhetorical." Kasumi said, "Never mind that now, we're stopping for lunch with you team."

Six

And so it was that three quarters of team 7 and Kasumi found themselves waiting at a restaurant for Naruto and Jiraiya. It was a novel experience for Kakashi to be waiting for someone else for a change. Finally, Naruto and Jiraiya arrived accompanied by a shout of, "You're late!" from Sakura.

"Sorry. We had to go meet with the Hokage suddenly." Jiraiya explained, "Anyways, how is the training going?"

"Sasuke is doing well." Kakashi said.

"Sakura is going to need to work her ass off to become a decent kunoichi." Kasumi replied, "And what about Naruto's training?"

"She's done well. Summoned the lord of the kitsune clan Kurama-sama himself on her sixth try."

"Don't forget me!" Yoko exclaimed, hopping onto Naruto's head from behind again.

"You stupid fox, would you cut that out!" Naruto shouted. Naruto's shout brought about stares from passerby mixed with glares from civilians.

Jiraiya picked Yoko up off Naruto's head and bopped Naruto atop the head, saying, "Don't be so loud, Naru-chan." He then set Yoko back down back on Naruto's head to receive a glare from Naruto, "Now then, I believe that Kakashi-kun used the bell test with you three, right?" He questioned the Genin of Team 7. Upon receiving the affirmative from them, he continued, "Good. After lunch, I'll be testing your teamwork with a variation of it that involves getting only one bell away from me. But first, let's go eat some barbeque."

Seven

The bell test went nearly as badly as the first one did with Naruto and Sasuke getting in each other's way trying to outdo the other and Sakura only able to throw some shuriken and kunai as cover at a distance. As the alarm clock went off, Jiraiya called a halt to the battle, "That's enough! Kakashi-kun was correct, your teamwork is terrible. So, you'll be spending your afternoons going through this test with me until you succeed at it. Sakura, Sasuke you're dismissed until tomorrow. Naruto, come here."

Sasuke prepared to shoot down Sakura's request for a date only to have her walk muttering about reading she had to do. Then, he left himself, thinking 'Why is Jiraiya-sama favoring the dead-last so much?'

Meanwhile, Jiraiya handed Naruto a book, prompting Naruto to ask, "What's this?"

Yoko came out of the tree from where she had watched the bell test and said, "It's a book."

"I know that!" Naruto snapped at the kitsune kit before returning her attention to the book and reading the title, "The Idiot's Guide to Fuuinjutsu." Then she asked Jiraiya, "Why are you giving me this?"

"Well, I figured it would be fitting for you to study Fuuinjutsu, considering the Uzumaki clan was famous for their expertise in it." Jiraiya explained.

"Clan? I come from a clan?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Your mother did, anyway. However they were wiped out and their village destroyed when she was a child." Jiraiya told her sadly, "Kohona shinobi still wear the Uzu spiral on their flak jackets to honor our fallen ally."

"Oh…" Naruto replied, and then switching tracks asked, "You knew my mom and dad, being my godfather and all, right?"

""I can't tell you about your dad yet, Naru-chan." Jiraiya said with a shrug, "That's classified until you become Chunin. Your mother however was Uzumaki Kushina and like I said before she was a beauty. And she was an excellent kunoichi as well. But she did have a temper, leading her to be nicknamed the red-hot habanero. Before all that though, she was picked on and called tomato due to her long red-hair and round face. So, to quote her, she made those that called her that into squashed tomatoes. In fact, you have her face. Your dad's coloration, but her face and personality. The whisker birthmarks come from her being the Jinchuuriki before you, though. Oh, that reminds me, I have a present for you." With that he handed Naruto another book.

"The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja." Naruto read the title.

"My first book. Your parents named you after the main character." Jiraiya told her, "Other than that, it was a flop. Anyways, it's time for you to head home. That Fuuinjutsu book won't read itself for you, you know."

Eight

When Naruto was heading home, she nearly literally ran into Haku. Squinting at the rather feminine boy, she asked, "Huh? Haku, what are you doing here?"

"I'm walking home after meeting my new team and training with them. I'm officially a Genin of Kohona now." Haku replied, tapping his new forehead protector.

"What? Only a Genin? But you're so strong!" Naruto exclaimed.

"And yet you defeated me." Haku replied.

"Only because of the Kyuubi's chakra, which I was only able to use because I thought you killed Sasuke." Naruto said, getting slightly depressed over that fact.

"True. How is your training going?" Haku asked.

"Oh, it's going great. I've mastered summoning and can use the Kyuubi's chakra at will now." Naruto responded, cheering up instantly, "But Ero-godfather wants me to study Fuuinjutsu."

"A difficult art." Haku mused.

"Huh? What do you know about it, Haku?" Naruto asked.

"A little… I needed some knowledge of Fuuinjutsu for my disguise as a hunter-nin. I can help you study if you wish." Haku told her.

"Really? That's great. But what about going home?" Naruto replied.

"That's not a problem; we live in the same building now." Haku said.

"Cool!" Naruto exclaimed, "So what about your team? What are they like?"

"I didn't really learn that much about my Jounin-sensei, Tetsuo. Tenma, the other boy hit on me and then accused me of being a cross-dresser…" He was interrupted here by Naruto's laughter, but continued after she stopped, "He favors Taijutsu. Nara Nabiki, the team kunoichi is highly intelligent, has a quick temper and favors her clan's techniques."

"She lazy? Because I know a Nara Shikamaru from my academy class who like nothing more than sleeping and cloud watching." Naruto said.

"Not really, but she did complain about her lazy cousin Shikamaru being heir to the head of the clan." Haku replied.

Nine

And so, as the days passed, Team 7 was kept busy with individual training in the morning, the bell test with Jiraiya in the afternoon and finally more individual training and study in the evening with Haku helping Naruto's study of Fuuinjutsu. This pattern lasted almost two weeks until Naruto awoke early one morning to her first period. Not knowing why she was suddenly bleeding down there and had cramps, she panicked and ran to Sakura's house. "Sakura-chan!" She shouted pounding on the door.

Sakura's rather annoyed mother answered the door, shouting, "What do you want, brat?"

"I need help! I'm cramping and bleeding down there!" Naruto shouted back.

"Oh." Sakura said appearing behind her mother, "It's been a month since the seal that made you a boy broke, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Naruto asked at a shout.

"Oh." Sakura's mother said, catching on, "You're having your first period, Naruto-chan."

"Huh? What's that?" Naruto replied, confused.

With a sigh, Sakura's mother said, "Come in and we'll explain." And so, Naruto learned about female biology. After which, she and Sakura went to their team meeting and training resumed as normal.

A/N

Next time-training concludes Sakura takes Naruto to her hair stylist, Chunin hopefuls arrive for the exams and more. Please read and review!


	6. Arrivals

Disclaimer-Naruto isn't mine and I plead with Viz and Kishimoto and whoever else not to sue. You wouldn't get anything, I'm poor.

"Blah."=Speech

'Blah'=Thoughts

D the Stampede presents

Blonde Kitsune Naruto

Chapter Six-Arrivals

One

"Alright, that's all for your training. The Chunin exam starts a week from today, so rest and prepare for now." Kakashi called out at the end of Jiraiya's bell test, "We'll meet the day before so I can give you the forms needed for your participation." That said he used shunshin to disappear.

"It's time to eat. Any votes as to where?" Jiraiya asked.

"Ichiraku ramen!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Sounds good to me." The Toad Sage agreed.

'Not again!' Sakura and Sasuke thought as one.

Before they could say anything, though, there was a puff of smoke atop Naruto's head. Everyone tensed except Naruto, who kneeled over coughing from smoke inhalation, but the smoke cleared to reveal that it was only Yoko the kit, who shouted out, "Naruto-san?"

"You're on my head! Again!" Naruto shouted back.

"Oh. Okay." Yoko replied, jumping down to the ground.

"What are you doing here, anyway? I didn't summon you." Naruto said.

"Oh, I was learning reverse summoning. Isn't that great?" Yoko asked, "Now I can visit you whenever I want. Also, notice anything different about me?"

"Um…" Naruto hedged, not noticing anything.

"My second tail grew in, you blind idiot!" Yoko shouted at Naruto, waving said tails around.

"Good for you?" Naruto questioned more than said.

"No, it's great! I can finally shape shift." Yoko told her before demonstrating by shifting into a duplicate of Naruto. There was just one problem. She hadn't formed clothes.

"Stupid fox! You forgot my clothes!" Naruto raged as she punched Yoko.

"No, I didn't." Yoko replied, rubbing her cheek, "I just can't form clothes yet."

Sakura burst out laughing, leading Naruto to demand, "What's so funny?"

"Don't you see? Its karmic payback for you inventing that perverted Oiroke no Jutsu of yours." Sakura replied through her laughter.

"Funny. I thought that happened when I turned into a girl." Naruto grumbled, pulling a scroll out of her equipment pouch. Then, opening the scroll, she summoned a spare set of clothes out of it and threw them to Yoko, saying, "Put these on."

Yoko complied, needing a little help with the bra, and then asked, "What, no jacket?"

"I only have the one." Naruto told her.

"And one of those orange eyesores is one too many." Sakura voiced her opinion, "Right, Sasuke?"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, uninterested in the conversion.

"But, it's the color of my fur." Yoko whined. Naruto's reply was cut off by the growl of her stomach.

"Heh. Looks like I better get you all something to eat." Jiraiya stated. And so, Jiraiya and Team 7 plus Yoko the kitsune headed to get something to eat at the Ichiraku ramen stand.

Two

"People are staring." Naruto noted the odd looks she and Yoko were receiving on their way through the village. They weren't the glares of hate she was used to receiving.

"That's because Yoko looks exactly like you and you're talking to her like she's a different person. They probably think you've gone crazy and started talking to your clones." Sakura explained.

"Oh. Yoko, can you change how you look?" Naruto asked the kitsune.

"Sure thing, Naruto-san." Yoko said, Her hair straightening and growing out to the midway down her back while turning orange, her eyes turning from blue to their natural yellow and the whisker birthmarks disappearing, "Is that better?" If anything, however the seal less, smokeless transformation drew more stares. Finally, they reached Ichiraku and sat down, filling the five stool stand.

Three

Meanwhile in southern Rice Field Country, Oroachimaru was holding a meeting in one of his underground lairs. Sitting in a throne-like chair surrounded by his Sound Four, he cut an imposing figure. The man meeting with him seemed at ease, however. While calmly shuffling a deck of cards, he greeted, "Hello, Oroachimaru-san." From his slicked back red hair, his tattooed cheeks (A spade on the right and a heart on the left.), his shirt dotted with the suits of a deck of cards and the leather vest with a joker card on the back, the stranger cut an odd figure as only a highly skilled ninja could. The standard ninja pants, equipment pouch, paired knives strapped to his thighs and ninja sandals only completed the image.

"Who the fuck are you to address Oroachimaru-sama as an equal, shithead?" Tayuya demanded.

"I the fuck am Uzumaki "Joker" Takeshi." The man replied with a grin before Jiroubou could chastise Tayuya for her dirty mouth, "And I am here because your boss summoned me so let us speak."

"That I did." Oroachimaru agreed, "But I must ask, where are my shinobi that I sent to deliver my summons?"

"Them? Dead." Joker replied simply.

"Why?" Oroachimaru asked calmly.

"They tried to force me to come. It was quite the mess to be honest. Not only did I have to kill them, but the yakuza I was playing poker with got foolish and I had to slaughter them as well." Joker explained, "However, I did being back the corpses of your ninja if you want them. The guys had some interesting toys, after all."

"Very well." Oroachimaru replied. Given his cue, Joker reached slowly back into his equipment pouch and pulled out a scroll out of it. Then he opened it and summoned the bodies of Kin Tsuchi, Zaku Abumi and Dosu Kinuta. Upon this confirmation that the man before them had killed sound ninja, the Sound Four tensed only to have Oroachimaru start laughing. Then he stopped laughing as suddenly as he had started, "I didn't tell those fools to try attacking you, you know."

"I can believe it. Still, you insulted me by sending a trio of Genin." Joker said with a shrug.

"I apologize for that. However, this still leaves me inconvenienced. I intended to send them to the upcoming Chunin exam in Kohona." Oroachimaru replied.

"Oh? I didn't know you still had ties to your old village, what with you being a missing-nin and all." Joker stated with another grin.

"I plan on destroying it." Oroachimaru replied.

"Ambitious." Joker said with a whistle, "However, I must ask what that has to do with me."

"Why I am hoping to recruit you, of course." Oroachimaru stated, "I wouldn't have bothered you except that Jiraiya has returned to the village and is personally training their Jinchuuriki."

"Huh. Everything I've heard suggests the kid is a talentless dimwit and I'm sure you could handle your fellow Sannin yourself." Joker replied after a pause.

"Myself? Oh no, I plan on being the one to kill that old fossil Sarutobi." Oroachimaru stated.

"Still grinding an axe about not being chosen as the Fourth Hokage, I see." Joker said with a laugh.

"Perhaps." Oroachimaru admitted, holding up a hand to prevent the sound four from attacking Joker for what they saw as an insult to their master, "Still it's my understanding that you have reason to hate Kohonagakure no Sato yourself."

"The destruction of Uzushiogakure no Sato? Nope. That was my father's grudge. He was always ranting about how the leafies let Uzu fall and raging about what an insult it was that they wear the Uzu spiral on their flak vests to honor their fallen allies and so on. It got so annoying that I killed the worthless drunk one day." Joker explained, "Still, I hold no allegiance to Kohona and the fall of one of the major shinobi villages would bring about the kind of chaos I enjoy. I'm in."

"It's not quite that simple, Takeshi-kun." Oroachimaru replied playfully, "I need to see your skills in combat."

"Oh?" Joker questioned, "What did you have in mind?"

"I think a bout between you and my Sound Four shall suffice. Just please don't kill or maim any of them." Oroachimaru said.

"No guarantees about that, but I'm in." Joker said.

Four

The Sound Four led Joker to an underground arena where they then faced off. "Let's see, the four of you have about mid-Chunin level chakra levels, but I'm also sensing a foreign chakra within each of you… Hmm… Feels like Oroachimaru-san's. You must be bearers of his infamous curse seal." Joker analyzed. He then looked to the window high up on one of the arena's walls where Oroachimaru was standing and watching and said, "Well, guess we should get this show started." That said, he pulled a scroll from his equipment pouch and slicing his thumb with one of his knives, snapped it open and wiped some blood on it. Then he snapped the scroll shut again and dropped it to the floor where in a puff of smoke it became a clone of him.

"Huh. All of that for a bushin variant, shithead?" Tayuya said, voice dripping with scorn.

"I am not just a bushin variant; I am the art's perfection!" The clone exclaimed, drawing his knives, "Now let's get started."

Five

Back in Kohona, two mornings later, Naruto was awoken by someone knocking on her door. Blinking sleep from her eyes and sitting up on the couch from where she had fallen asleep studying her Fuuinjutsu book, she shouted, "I'm coming." Stretching her neck to relieve a kink in it, she walked to her door and opened it. Standing there was Sakura. "Oh hey, Sakura-chan…" She paused to yawn, "What's up?"

"Naruto, who cuts your hair?" Sakura asked suddenly.

"Huh? Oh, I do." Naruto replied, wondering why Sakura was asking.

"That's what I thought." Sakura said, "I suppose you don't brush it or anything either."

"No, why do you ask?" Naruto was thoroughly confused now.

"Hmph. Maybe you could get away with that when you were a boy, but you're a girl now. You have to take care of your hair. Come on." She said, pulling Naruto out the door.

Hastily shutting said door, Naruto asked, "Where are we going?"

"To my hair stylist, of course." Sakura replied.

Six

Sakura's hair stylist proved to be a middle-aged woman with a small one person shop near Sakura's home. "Sakura-chan, you've just had a cut last week." She said, "And I know a busy kunoichi like you has more important things to do then visit with old Kaori."

"Actually, I have the week before the Chunin exam off." Sakura replied, "But you're right, I'm not here for me. I was wondering if you could style the mess on Naruto's head."

"Naruto's head?" Kaori questioned, looking at her other visitor to find that yes, Sakura had brought the Uzumaki brat into her shop. Ignoring Naruto to speak to Sakura, Kaori said, "I'm sorry, Sakura, but your teammate isn't welcome here."

This is when Yoko proved to have bad timing by appearing in a puff of smoke on Naruto's head. Looking around, the kitsune called out, "Naruto-san!"

"You're on my head! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" Naruto shouted back.

Kaori came out of her shock at seeing Yoko appear, grabbed a handy broom and chased Naruto from the shop, shouting, "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

"Well, you just lost yourself a customer." Sakura told Kaori.

"I didn't want that brat as a customer!" Kaori exclaimed.

"I meant myself." Sakura said, walking out.

"She's nothing but trouble, Sakura! You used to know that!" Kaori called out to Sakura's back.

"I knew wrong." Sakura stated.

Seven

Sakura caught up to Naruto a little ways away from the hair stylist's shop, "Naruto, I'm sorry." She apologized.

"I'm used to it." Naruto replied sullenly.

"You shouldn't have to be." Sakura replied, and then glancing behind them, added "Is it normal for you to be followed by a box?"

"What?" Naruto asked turning around herself. It was true, they were being followed by a box with eyeholes in it, "Kohonamaru, a rock isn't square or have eyeholes. Come out!"

Kohonamaru, Moegi and Udon crawled out from under the box and Kohonamaru declared, "That's the man I consider my rival!" Then he blinked and added, "Hey, bro, why are you henged as a girl? That form is cute and all, but nowhere near as hot as your Oiroke no Jutsu."

"Naruto!" You showed that perverted jutsu to a kid?" Sakura shouted.

"No, he taught me it." Kohonamaru said.

"Kohonamaru." Naruto said, looking into Sakura's murderous gaze.

"Yeah, bro?" Kohonamaru replied.

"Run!" Naruto shouted as she did just that. Taking a quick glance at Sakura, Kohonamaru followed with Moegi and Udon just behind him. And so the chase was on. However, the chase was cut short as a stranger appeared in their path. Naruto succeeded in jumping over him, but Kohonamaru plowed right into him.

"That hurt." The stranger said. He was wearing a black outfit, war paint and was carrying a large bundle on his back. The kunoichi with him was wearing a battle dress with a mesh-underlining and had a large folding fan on her back. More importantly, they were both wearing Suna forehead protectors. The guy grabbed Kohonamaru by the front of his shirt and repeated, "That hurt, you little shit!"

"Don't." The girl said, "We'll get yelled at later."

"Hey, fatass! Let go of him." Naruto shouted.

"I'd do as the young kunoichi suggests." A third stranger said from behind Naruto, "Don't want to start an international incident with your allies because you beat up the Hokage's grandson."

Whirling around, the teenager in black snarled, "And who the hell are you to tell me what to do?"

"Name's Uzumaki Takeshi, though I prefer Joker." Joker replied, playing with his Oto forehead protector, "And to you, I'm nobody. But, your brother Gaara is up in that tree and his chakra is just laced with bloodlust." Joker finished pointing to a nearby tree.

"Kankuro, you're an embarrassment to our village." Gaara stated from his position standing on the bottom of one of the tree's branches. He proved to be a red head with the kanji for love tattooed on his forehead and a large gourd on his back.

"Gaara." The now named Kankuro said nervously, dropping Kohonamaru.

"Losing yourself in a fight, how pathetic. Why do you think we came to Kohona?" Gaara questioned.

"Listen Gaara, they started it…" Kankuro started to say.

"Shut up. I'll kill you." Gaara said flatly.

"Ok. I'm sorry." Kankuro said.

"I'm also sorry. Really sorry." The kunoichi of the Suna team said also. Gaara then used Shunshin to appear between his siblings and they all walked away.

"Wait you said your name is Uzumaki?" Naruto asked Joker.

"Yes, why?" Joker replied.

"Because my name is Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto introduced herself, "You think we're related?"

"Distantly, maybe. You don't have the Uzumaki red hair, after all." Joker replied, before shunshinning away.

Eight

Joker reappeared on a nearby rooftop where his Genin had been watching the whole encounter. "Well?" He asked.

Keroneko Asuka, a black haired girl with a cat's ears, tail and slit pupils said, "Did you have to agitate Suna's Jinchuuriki, Sensei? I could smell the blood on him from here!"

Ranryu Akane, a red-scaled half-dragoness twitched her tail and rubbed her claws together and said, "Scared already, Asuka? Don't worry, he's not the target." Kaneda, the boy of Joker's team and rather plain-looking besides had nothing to say.

A/N

Next Time-Let the Exam Begin! Please Read and Review! Everything including flames welcome! I have this bag of marshmallows, you see.


	7. Let the Exam Begin

Disclaimer-Naruto isn't mine and I plead with Viz and Kishimoto and whoever else not to sue. You wouldn't get anything, I'm poor.

"Blah."=Speech

'Blah'=Thoughts

D the Stampede presents

Blonde Kitsune Naruto

Chapter Seven-Let the Exam Begin

One

"Well, my cute little Genin tomorrow is the Chunin exam. Here are your applications. Fill them out and report to room 301 of the academy by 4 P.M. tomorrow if you're still taking it. That is all." Kakashi told Team 7 before he vanished from their meeting place with a Shunshin.

Two

And so the next afternoon found Team 7 at the academy heading to room 301. On their way there they ran into a crowd of Chunin hopefuls gathered around a pair of Genin beating a third, "You plan to take the exam with that?" One of the bullies questioned the oddly dressed Genin now sitting on the floor wiping his bloody mouth. He was wearing a green spandex one-piece suit with orange leg-warmers and bandages covering his arms from elbows to hands. His hair was styled in a bowl cut and he had oversized eyebrows.

"You should quit now." The second bully advised.

"You're just a kid." The first bully put in, who was wearing a pair of over-sized kunai on his back.

"Yeah, yeah!" The second exclaimed.

"Please let us through." A girl wearing a Chinese-style shirt that had her brown hair up in buns said while stepping forward. She received a backhand to the face for her troubles.

"Horrible." One of the bystanders stated.

"What did you say?" Kunai-bully questioned, "Listen. This is us being kind. The Chunin exam isn't easy. Even we have failed three times straight. Those that take this exam and end up quitting as shinobi, those who die during the exam, we've seen it all. And Chunin often become squad captains. The failure of a mission, the death of a comrade that is the captain's responsibility. Yet, kids like you think you can pass? We are just thinning out those who will fail anyway. What's wrong with that?"

"I agree." Sasuke stated as team 7 stepped forward, "But you will let me and my team through and also remove the Genjutsu. I'm going to the third floor."

"What is he talking about?" A bystander asked.

"I don't know." Another replied.

"Ah, so you noticed." The second bully said.

"That's right. This is the second floor." Sakura replied.

"Yup!" Naruto added, even though she hadn't noticed the Genjutsu.

"Not bad, but all you did was see through it!" Kunai-bully stated as the Genjutsu dispelled and he launched himself into a kick at Sasuke to which Sasuke responded with a kick of his own. Only neither connected as spandex boy was suddenly in between them, a foot caught by each hand.

'He's so fast.' Sakura thought, 'He was able to see both kicks and slide in between? He's completely different than the person who was getting knocked around moments ago.'

Sasuke thought, 'Catching my kick with his hand. And what was with the chakra in his arm?'

"Hey, what happened to the plan?" A boy who was obviously a Hyuuga and spandex boy's other teammate demanded, "You're the one who said that we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves."

"Well…" Spandex boy replied, looking at Sakura.

"Oh, no." Chinese shirt girl said while shaking her head and the Hyuuga got an annoyed look on his face.

'Huh? His injuries have disappeared.' Sasuke noted.

"Hi!" Spandex boy said, walking up to Sakura, "My name is Rock Lee. So yours is Sakura. Let's go out together! I'll protect till I die!"

"No way." Sakura rejected him, "you're lame."

"Hey, you, what's your name?" The Hyuuga demanded of Sasuke.

"When you want to know someone's name, you should give yours first." Sasuke replied.

"You're a rookie, right? How old are you?" The Hyuuga continued to question Sasuke.

"I don't have to answer you." Sasuke replied. And with that, they turned away from each other.

Three

After the crowd had dispersed, the two bullies ducked into the room behind them and dispelled their Henges, revealing themselves to be Chunin, "So those are Kakashi's and Gai's prized pupils. I guess they pass the unofficial test." Bully number two stated.

Kunai guy agreed, "Yeah. This exam is going to be fun for us examiners, too."

Four

As Team 7 made their way towards the third floor, Rock Lee appeared again, "Hey, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Yes, what is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Will you fight me right here?" Lee challenged.

"A fight right now?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes." Lee stated, "I want to fight you. I want to test my techniques against the last Uchiha. Plus…" He finished, turning his attention to Sakura and winking.

"Ewww. Those lower eyelashes are just Ewww!" Sakura exclaimed then continued to list his faults, "That lame haircut… Those thick eyebrows…."

Either not noticing or caring, Lee blew a kiss at Sakura, saying, "You are an angel."

Dodging backwards so hard, she hit her head on the floor, Sakura got back up and shouted, "Hey don't blow kisses at me! I barely escaped with my life!"

"You don't have to be so mean…" Lee replied.

"Challenging me knowing the Uchiha name. Frankly, you're a fool. You're about to learn what the name means, thick brows." Sasuke said.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, slapping her bloody palm on the floor. In a puff of smoke, she was sitting on a three-tailed yellow kitsune the size of a horse, "The hell he is, Sasuke!" She shouted then to her mount, she said, "Restrain bowl-cut boy."

"As you wish, Naruto-san." The kitsune replied as vines burst out of the floor and tied up Lee.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sasuke demanded.

"We don't have time for this! We have to get to room 301 for the exam!" Naruto shouted back.

"Let him go. This will only take five minutes." Sasuke stated.

"Fine then, feed your ego." Naruto said as the kitsune's vines released Lee.

Sasuke and Lee promptly rushed each other with Lee launching the first attack, a leaping roundhouse kick with a shout of, "Kohona Senpuu." Sasuke ducked only to find himself in the path of Lee's other foot. He attempted to block it, but it still connected, sending him flying.

'What's going on? I had that blocked, but he still slipped through my guard. Was it Ninjutsu or Genjutsu?' Sasuke thought as he landed. Then, as he got back up, activating his sharingan, 'Never mind, my sharingan will see through it.' He then rushed Lee again and got his bell rang with a rising kick for his trouble, 'It's pure Taijutsu.'

"Yes, my techniques are neither Ninjutsu nor Genjutsu." Lee stated before leaping up and preforming the Kohona Kage Buyou.

"No way you're faster than me." Sasuke said in disbelief.

"Oh, but I am. And…"

"Even if my eyes can keep with you, it doesn't matter if my body can't." Sasuke finished.

"Exactly! And with my next move, I'll prove to you that hard work can defeat genius." Lee stated as the bandages around his forearms began to unwind.

'What's he planning?' Sasuke thought.

It didn't matter since a pinwheel of all things pinned one of Lee's bandages to the wall, "That's enough, Lee!" The turtle who had appeared out of nowhere said.

'What's going on?' Sasuke thought as his pinned bandage yanked Lee out from underneath him. He promptly back flipped to land on his feet as Lee forward flipped to do the same.

"So you were watching…" Lee said kneeling before the turtle.

"Lee! That technique is forbidden!" the turtle exclaimed.

"Huh? Is that turtle his sensei?" Naruto asked no one in particular.

"No, Naruto-san. He is a summons like me." The kitsune answered.

"Oh." Naruto replied as she and her teammates continued to watch the turtle chew out Lee.

"You think you can get away with an excuse like that? You already know what it for a shinobi to reveal their special techniques!" the turtle continued over Lee's excuses.

'Damn.' Sasuke thought, 'I lost to this weirdo?'

"Are you prepared to pay?" the turtle questioned Lee.

"Yes." Lee said head bowed dejectedly.

"Then here comes Gai-sensei!" The turtle exclaimed at someone appeared atop him. As the smoke cleared, it became obvious who Lee had modeled himself after. From bowl cut to spandex, Gai looked much like an older Lee, the differences being even thicker eyebrows and the Jonin flak vest he wore.

"Yosh! You lot are burning with the flames of youth!" Gai exclaimed while posing eccentrically.

Team 7's reaction was one of universal shock. Sakura recovered first and said, "Ew… He's got even thicker eyebrows."

Naruto added, "Those are incredible eyebrows. I've never seen the like."

"Hey! Stop insulting Gai-sensei!" Lee fairly raged.

"Shut up!" Naruto shouted back, "All these freaks keep appearing! How are we supposed to react?"

"What did you…" Lee started to shout back before Gai interrupted.

"Lee."

"Oh! Yes, Gai-sensei?"

"You fool!" Gai shouted, slugging Lee in the mouth to team 7's surprise, "You are…"

"Sensei." Lee said from his position on the floor as they both began weeping, "Sensei. I…"

"That's enough, Lee. You don't need to say it." Gai said, hugging his student.

"Sensei!" Lee exclaimed.

Team 7 continued to stand there in shock (Or sit in Naruto's case.).

'I lost to him?' Sasuke thought.

"Yes! This is what youth is all about!" Gai shouted.

"Sensei!" Lee exclaimed again.

"It's alright, Lee. Youth and mistakes go together." Gai said.

"Sensei, you're too kind." Lee replied, still crying.

"But you did start a fight and almost broke my rules; your punishment will take place after the Chunin exams." Gai stated.

"Yes!" Lee said, saluting.

"Five hundred laps around the training ground." Gai stated.

"Yes!" Lee shouted, still saluting.

"Stupid." Sakura said.

It was then that Gai turned his attention to team 7, 'So these are Kakashi's students.' Out loud, he asked, "Hey you guys, how's Kakashi-sensei?"

"You know Kakashi?" Sasuke asked in reply.

"Know him?" Gai said, stoking his chin with a chuckle, before disappearing and reappearing behind team 7, "People refer to us as 'eternal rivals.'"

'This guy.' Sasuke thought.

"When did he…" Naruto started to say.

"Fifty wins, Forty-nine losses." Gai stated, "I'm stronger than Kakashi."

'No way, he's faster than Kakashi. Is he human?' Sasuke thought.

"See? Gai-sensei is incredible!" Lee exclaimed.

"Sorry about Lee. I swear on my face that it won't happen again." Gai stated, pointing at his rather homely face, "You guys and Lee should head over to the classroom." He added, using a kunai to dislodge his pinwheel from the wall and free Lee's bandage.

That was when Naruto noticed how bruised and scarred Lee's knuckles were, 'He…'

"Good luck, Lee. Later." Gai said, vanishing.

"Sasuke-kun, I'll say one more thing." Lee said as he finished re-wrapping his hands, "The truth is I came to test my abilities. The strongest Kohona Genin is most likely a member of my team and I've entered this to defeat him. You're one of my targets, too. Be prepared." He finished as he leapt up to the next floor.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said noticing Sasuke's hand was shaking.

"Oh, well…" Naruto said, putting her hands behind her head, "The Uchiha clan ain't worth much these days."

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted at her.

"Shut up. Next time, I'll beat him." Sasuke said.

"Sure… You just got your ass kicked." Naruto replied.

"Hey, Naruto! Don't!" Sakura shouted again.

"You saw his hand, too. Bushy brows must train really hard every day." Naruto stated, "More than you. That's all it is."

"Pft… This thing is getting fun, this Chunin exam." Sasuke said.

"Yeah." Sakura replied.

"Yup!" Naruto put in.

"Ready to go, Naruto? Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

"Hell, yeah!" Was Naruto's reply.

"Excuse me." The kitsune said, "Am I dismissed, Naruto-san?"

"Oh, right. You can go now." Naruto said. Then she fell on her ass as the kitsune vanished in a puff of smoke.

Five

"Whoa." Naruto said as team 7 entered room 301.

"What's this?" Sakura added. The room was full of Chunin applicants and they were all looking at the new arrivals, 'What numbers… Are they all here for the Chunin exam? They all look so strong.'

It was then that Yamanaka Ino glomped Sasuke, "Sasuke-kun! You're late!" She exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in a while so I've been waiting in excitement."

"Get away from Sasuke-kun, Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted, nerves forgotten in the presence of another Sasuke fangirl.

"Why if it isn't Sakura and her big, ugly forehead." Ino taunted.

"What did you say?" Sakura shouted.

"You guys are taking this stupid test, too? Don't die." Shikamaru put in from behind Sasuke and Ino.

"Oh, it's the idiot trio." Naruto commented.

"Don't call us that." Shikamaru said before sighing, "Troublesome." Choji meanwhile was stuffing his face with a bag of potato chips, "Wait a minute. I know it's going to be troublesome, but why are you Henged into a girl, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yahoo! found you!" Kiba's shout interrupted Naruto's answer.

"H-Hello." Hinata stuttered while Shino remained silent.

"Well, well… Everyone is assembled." Kiba stated.

"Geez. Not you guys, too." Shikamaru said.

"I see… All of the rookie nine are taking the exam. I wonder how far we'll get, Sasuke." Kiba continued.

"You seem pretty confident, Kiba." Sasuke replied.

"We did a lot of training. We won't lose to you." Kiba stated.

"Shut up!" Naruto shouted, "Sasuke might, but I won't lose to the likes of you!"

"Huh? Naruto, why are you Henged into a girl?" Kiba asked.

"It's not a henge." Naruto pouted.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and said quietly, "Naruto's telling the truth Kiba-kun. She's not using any chakra." Then she fainted, the prospect of her crush being a girl being too much for her.

Kiba meanwhile confirmed Hinata's statement by sniffing Naruto, "Huh? Hinata's right. But how, I know you were a boy in the academy."

"What are you doing?" Naruto demanded, punching Kiba in the face, "Besides what about Hinata? Is she going to be alright?"

Any answer she was about to receive was interrupted when the doors opened again and Team Tetsuo entered, Nabiki chewing out Tenma, "What were you doing, pulling an all-nighter at the training grounds the night before the exam anyway? You almost made us late!"

Meanwhile, Naruto said, "Hey, Haku. Ready for the exam?"

"Ready as can be, Naruto-san." Haku greeted in return.

"Hey you guys, you should be quieter. Most of you are rookies right out of the academy, right? Screaming like schoolgirls. Geez… This isn't a picnic."

"Who do you think you are?" Ino demanded.

"I'm Kabuto." The teenage guy supplied, "But instead of that, look behind you."

"Behind…" Sakura began as the group did just that. Behind them were some very angry-looking Ame ninja.

"Those guys behind you are from hidden rain. They have short tempers." Kabuto stated, "Everyone is nervous about the exam, quiet down before you cause a scene. Well, I can't blame you, you're clueless rookies. You remind me of how I used to be."

"Kabuto-san, right?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah." Kabuto replied.

"So, this is your second time?" Sakura asked.

"Nope. My seventh time. This exam is held twice a year so this is my fourth year." Kabuto stated.

"Wow, so you know a lot about this exam." Sakura said.

"That's right. Tell you what; I'll share some info with you cute rookies with these ninja info cards." Kabuto said, pulling some cards out of his equipment pouch.

"Ninja info cards?" Sakura questioned.

"They are basically cards which have info burned into them with chakra." Kabuto explained, "I have four years' worth of info here. Over two hundred cards. They look blank, but to open the info on these cards…"

"What are you doing?" Ino asked as Kabuto placed a card on the floor and channeled his chakra into it.

"You can't view them unless I use my chakra. For example…" Kabuto said as information appeared on the card, "this is a graph showing the number of those taking this exam and the breakdown of what country they are from."

"Do you have cards with info on individuals?" Sasuke asked.

"These are some guys you're worried about?" Kabuto teased, "Of course, the information on the exam's participants isn't perfect, but I do have it. Even of you guys. Say something about these guys and I'll take a look."

"Rock Lee of Kohona." Sasuke supplied.

"Gaara of Suna." Sakura added.

"You know their names? Should be easy then." Kabuto replied, removing two cards from his deck and holding them up.

"Show me." Sasuke said.

"Ok, first Rock Lee. He's a year older than you guys. Mission history: 20 D-rank 12 C-rank. His Sensei is Gai. His Taijutsu has improved greatly in the past year, but the rest of his skills are nothing impressive. Last year, he gained attention as a talented new Genin, but he did not participate in the exam, so like you this is his first time. Teammates are Hyuuga Neji and Tenten. Next is Gaara of the Desert. Mission History: 8 C-rank 1 B-rank. Wow, a B-rank as a Genin. Since he's a newcomer from a foreign country, I don't have much info on him, but it seems he returned from all of his missions without even a scratch." Kabuto concluded, "Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound… Many outstanding Genin from various villages are here to take the exams. Well, sound is a new village formed just last year so there isn't much info, but the rest of the hidden villages are filled with talented Genin.

"M-Makes you lose confidence." Hinata said, having woken up.

"So basically, all the people here…" Sakura said.

"Yup! Like Lee and Gaara, they are the top Genin from the various countries." Kabuto finished, "This isn't going to be easy."

The tense silence that brought on was broken by Yoko appearing in a puff of smoke on Naruto's head and shouting, "Naruto-san!"

"You're on my head again." Naruto sighed.

"Oh." Yoko replied.

Kabuto and the rest of the room just stared for a moment then Kabuto asked the obvious question, "Is that a kitsune on your head?"

"Yup!" Naruto answered, "I have a summoning contract with them."

"And you are?" Kabuto asked, shuffling through his cards.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto shouted.

"Okay, let's see. Dead-last of the current batch of rookie Genin, male, huh, that's weird. Graduation information classified. Okay, it's official; I apparently know nothing about you." Kabuto finished, shoving the card back in the deck and putting it away.

Six

Meanwhile, across the room, Asuka was pissed, "Did you hear that glasses-wearing bastard dismiss Oto out of hand because we're a new village? I'm going to kill him!" She finished, preparing to lunge through the crowd to do just that.

Grabbing her tail to stop her, Akane said, "No, you're not. At least not yet. If we get the chance during the exams, however."

"Just don't forget our real target, you pair of blood-thirsty freaks." Kaneda stated. The catgirl and half-dragoness instantly turned their glares his way. He ignored them.

Seven

It was then that the examiners for the first exam entered the room in a puff of smoke, "Quiet down you worthless bastards." Then after the smoke had dissipated, the speaker continued, "Thanks for waiting. I am Morino Ibiki, head examiner for the Chunin exam's first test."

"The head for torture and interrogation is the first exam's proctor?" Haku questioned.

"What?" Those who had heard him shouted.

"I said quiet down!" Ibiki said again, "First off, there will be no fighting during the first exam and those pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. Understood? We will now start the first test in the Chunin exam. Instead of your current seating arrangements, each of you will pick one of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams."

After a moment of silence, Naruto shouted, "What? A paper test?"

A/N

I apologize for the delay between chapters. Please read and review.


	8. The First Exam

Disclaimer-Naruto isn't mine and I plead with Viz and Kishimoto and whoever else not to sue. You wouldn't get anything, I'm poor.

"Blah."=Speech

'Blah'=Thoughts

D the Stampede presents

Blonde Kitsune Naruto

Chapter Eight-The First Exam

One

'Poor Naruto, this is the worst possible test for her.' Sakura thought once everyone was at their seat and had their exam papers.

'Everyone is all separated, what am I going to do?' Naruto questioned herself head on the table in front of her.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata said from her seat next to Naruto.

"Oh, Hinata-chan!" Naruto replied, surprised, 'I didn't even notice her.'

"Let's do our best." Hinata said.

Meanwhile, Ibiki started explaining the rules of the exam "Do not turn your tests over. Listen closely to what I'm about to say. There are many important rules to this first test. I'll write the rules on the blackboard while I explain, but questions will not be allowed so listen carefully."

"Rules?" Sakura questioned, 'No questions allowed?'

"The first rule. You start with ten points. The test has ten questions and each one is worth a point, but this test uses a subtraction system. Basically, if you answer all the questions correctly, you keep your ten points. But say you miss three questions, you lose three points and end up with seven." Ibiki stated.

'So all wrong means zero points…' Naruto thought.

"The second rule. This is a team test. Whether you pass or not will be determined by the combined score of your team." Ibiki continued, "So each team will compete to see how many points they can hold onto from the initial team total of thirty."

At this, Sakura slammed her head into the table then raised her hand and shouted, "Wait a minute! I don't understand this initial points system either, but why is it a team test?"

"Shut up. You don't have the right to question me. There is a reason for this, so be quiet and listen." Ibiki replied, "Okay and now the most important rule. The third rule is that during the exam, anyone caught cheating will have two points subtracted for each offence. So, there will be some who lose all their points during the exam and be asked to leave."

'I see… So there are other ways to lose points besides answering incorrectly.' Sakura thought.

"We'll have our eyes on you." One of the examiners stated.

"Realize that the pathetic ones who get caught cheating will be destroying themselves. As shinobi trying to achieve the rank of Chunin, be proud ninjas." Ibiki continued.

'Calm down.' Sakura thought to herself, 'yeah, we have Naruto, but as long Sasuke-kun and I do well, even if she gets zero points, we just have to cover for her.'

"And the final rule, those that lose all their initial points during the test or fail to answer any questions correctly will be failed along with their teammates." Ibiki concluded.

'What?' Sasuke thought.

"What did he just say?" Sakura exclaimed loudly.

"I sense two people who want to kill me." Naruto concluded.

"The exam will last one hour. Begin!" Ibiki said.

'This could be very bad.' Sakura thought, 'Naruto, please don't get zero points.'

'Heh. This is nothing. I've survived dangerous situations numerous times. I can't fail here. In times like this you just have to calm down. Relax… Calmly look each question over and find the one you can answer and focus your mind on it.' Naruto thought as she began to freak out.

'Damn. This is bad. Looks like Naruto's already freaking out.' Sasuke thought, looking at his teammate.

'First question is a cryptogram. Ok, let's do it.' Naruto thought to herself. Then she moved on to the next question when she couldn't answer it.

'Is Naruto going to be alright?' Sakura thought. Then, shaking that thought off, she thought, 'I have to worry about myself. I need to get us some points here. Hmm, number two, Line B, seen in the picture is the greatest possible distance a shinobi can throw his shuriken from a tree of seven meters. For enemies who appear within the circumference of the shuriken range, explain the attack options using this distance. Show your work. This is a very complicated question that requires both a high amount of book smarts and experience. There's no way Naruto can answer this. Actually, almost everyone here won't be able to. Though, I can.' Meanwhile, Naruto's heart sank as she realized she couldn't answer any of the questions.

Sasuke too reached this conclusion, 'Heh, I see. I can't answer a single one of these. Plus, what's with question ten.' He thought reading the instructions to said question. Question Ten: This question will be revealed forty-five minutes after the test begins. Listen closely to the examiner before answering.

Meanwhile, Naruto had come to one conclusion, 'This is seriously bad! Seriously!' "Ahh! Just calm down!" She exclaimed to herself.

Meanwhile, Sasuke looked over at the side of the room where the proctors were sitting, 'What's with this?' He noted as he saw how intently they were watching, 'It's like they assume we'll cheat. What bastards.'

'The second rule… If they add up all the team members' scores, that means we will be ranked. How many teams will be allowed to pass?' Sakura thought, 'It's not like knowing will make a difference.'

It was then that a Genin from Suna sitting next to her stood and said, "Um… I'd like to know one thing. How many teams will pass this test?"

Ibiki laughed darkly then replied, "It's not like knowing will help you. Or do you want to be disqualified?"

"Sorry." The Genin said, sitting back down.

"I thought so.' Sakura thought, 'If only ten of the Fifty-One teams will pass, then you have to score a lot of points. This is a system that encourages cheating. Hopefully Naruto or Sasuke-kun won't be foolish and try to cheat.' Then she reassured herself, 'Don't worry, Naruto isn't that stupid. I know that.'

'Relax.' Naruto told herself in a panic, 'I just have to calmly… calmly… Cheat in a way where I won't get caught!'

It was then that Yoko jumped up from the floor onto Naruto's head and whispered in her ear, "What are you doing Naruto-san? The cheating is already begun."

"What do you mean?" Naruto replied in her own whisper.

"Just what I said. For example, that dog is barking out the answers to his master. We can do the same." Yoko said as she started to look at the test papers around them.

Meanwhile, Sasuke had figured it out for himself, 'I see, so that's it. Damn it, this isn't a test to just measure our intelligence. It's also a test to see how well we can gather information with our skills. "A shinobi must read underneath the underneath." So what the examiner meant was if you're going to cheat, don't do it pathetically, but as a proud ninja and don't get caught. If you look at it that way, the subtraction point system and the fact that they let you get caught cheating four times without failing all makes sense. So, basically what is being tested is our ability to gather information without being caught by the proctors or the person we cheat off of.' Then, looking at Naruto, he noticed Yoko on her head and guessed what they were doing, 'Damn it, Naruto figured it out before me.'

Two

Indeed, various Genin were cheating in various ways.

Three

Back with Sasuke, he looked around the room subtly before selecting his target and using his Sharingan, starting to copy his movements. Finally, as the thirty minute mark passed Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke all finished with the first nine questions, 'Ok. Done.' Sakura thought, 'now to wait for the tenth question.'

'This is working out well.' Sasuke thought, 'I was going to copy a few more people, but I hit the jackpot with him.'

Meanwhile, Ino noticed Sakura had stopped writing, 'So, it's finally time to do it. Sakura, I will acknowledge the size of your forehead and intelligence. So be thankful that you will be the target of my Shintenshin no Jutsu. Here I go.' She finished making the necessary handsigns then fell asleep as her mind took over Sakura's body.

'Ino's fallen asleep. She must have begun that Jutsu.' Shikamaru noted.

'That's one jutsu you can't resist.' Chouji thought.

Meanwhile, Ino in Sakura's body thought, 'Now to hurry up and memorize her answers. I have to enter Chouji and Shikamaru to copy these answers to their papers, too.'

While that was happening, the thirteenth team failed. The Genin caught cheating slammed his hand down on the table in front of him, stood and shouted, "Do you have proof that I cheated five times? Are you guys watching all…?"

He was interrupted by a proctor rushing at him and slamming him into the wall across the room, "Listen, among Chunin, we are the elite that were assembled to watch over this exam. We haven't missed anything you've done." The proctor, a man with the top half of his head covered in bandages and his forehead-protector down over where his eyes would be, stated, "You could say this strength is our proof."

Meanwhile, Gaara caught Ibiki's attention, 'Hmm, what's that kid up to? Completely calm during all of this… Very impressive…'

Holding his right hand up to his left eye, Gaara created an eye made of sand in his left palm, 'The third eye is opened.' With that thought, he crushed the eye of sand and the sand drifted across the room and got into another examinee's eye, blinding him for a moment before the eye reformed and looked at his paper then dispersed again.

At this point, Kankuro stood and raising his hand, said "Excuse me?"

"What is it?" a proctor asked.

"Bathroom." Kankuro said.

After handcuffing him and tying a rope to the cuffs, a proctor told Kankuro, "We have to follow you to the bathroom."

"I see."

Four

Once in the bathroom, Kankuro noted, "Those proctors weren't very impressive. They didn't even notice there was an extra one of them, right, Karasu?" He asked the proctor, which was his disguised puppet, "So, start telling me from question one." He said as he relieved himself.

Five

Back in to classroom, Ibiki decided, 'We've gotten rid of the trash. It's about that time.' "Ok, we will now start the tenth question."

'About time.' Sasuke thought.

'Here's the final mountain.' Sakura thought.

'Hurry up and return, Kankuro!' Temari, the girl of the sand siblings thought, 'You were supposed to pass me the answers before the tenth question.'

"Now, before we get to it, I'd like to go over the added rules for this question." Ibiki stated to the shock of the remaining Genin teams in the room. It was then that Kankuro returned, "Nice timing. Was playing with your doll beneficial?"

'He saw through Karasu?' Kankuro thought in surprise.

"Just sit down." Ibiki said and Kankuro did so passing the answers on to Temari as he passed her, "I'll now explain. These are the rules of desperation."

Six

Meanwhile, Kakashi was lounging in a tea house with Asuma and Kurenai, "Well, it sure is boring without my team." Kakashi stated.

"Don't worry; you'll be busy again soon." Asuma stated.

`"Why's that?" Kakashi asked.

"I heard the proctor for the first test is Morino Ibiki." Asuma told him.

"Not that sadist!" Kakashi exclaimed, 'Passing this first test may be difficult.'

"Sadist?" Kurenai questioned.

"Kurenai, you're a new Jounin so you probably don't know." Asuma said.

"Who is he?" Kurenai asked.

"A pro." Asuma said.

"A pro? Of what?" She asked.

"Torture and interrogation." Asuma supplied.

"Huh?" Kurenai said.

"Well, there may not be physical torture during a test, but they must be experiencing the mental suffering brought on by his interrogation skills."

There was a cackle of mad laughter before Joker walked up to them and stated, "I'd hope your Genin fold under the pressure if I were you three. No way are any for them ready to face my team."

"Joker! What are you doing here?" Kakashi demanded.

"Jounin-sensei of the Oto Genin team, Uzumaki "Joker" Takeshi." Joker introduced himself, pointing to his Oto forehead-protector.

"Well, shit!" Kakashi exclaimed.

Seven

'Rules of desperation?' Naruto thought.

"First, for this tenth question, you must decide whether you will take it or not." Ibiki stated.

'Choose whether to take it?' Sasuke thought.

"Choose?" Temari exclaimed, "What happens if we choose not to?"

"If you choose not to, your points are reduced to zero. You and your team fail!" Ibiki exclaimed.

"What does that mean?" One Genin shouted.

"Then of course we'll take the question!" Another shouted.

"And now, the other rule." Ibiki stated.

'More?' Sakura thought, 'Give it a break already!'

"If you choose to take it and answer it incorrectly, you will lose the right to ever take the Chunin selection exam again." Ibiki stated.

At this, Kiba shouted, "What kind of stupid rule is that? There are guys here who have taken the exam before!"

Ibiki laughed again, and then said, "You guys were unlucky. It's my rules this year. But I am giving you a way out. Those who aren't confident can choose not to take it and try again next time."

'So basically, if one of the three decides not to take it, everyone fails. And if you decide to take it and get it wrong you will be a Genin forever.' Sakura thought, biting her lip, 'Both options are bad! What a decision!'

"Now let's begin the tenth question." Ibiki stated, "Those who do not wish to take it raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave."

'What kind of question is it going to be? Damn it! If I get it wrong I'll be an eternal Genin. No Way! But if I choose to avoid it, Sasuke and Sakura-chan will fail too, I don't want that either!"' Naruto thought.

'I won't raise my hand. I have confidence that I can answer it. Even if Naruto causes us to fail, it's not like I got the question wrong. So I can try again next time. But, Naruto, you're different. You should forget about us and think about the next chance.' Sakura thought. Then the wave of drop-outs began, 'Naruto why aren't you raising your hand? Always acting like a fool who only know one thing. Hokage this Hokage that. I'm sorry Naruto. That impossible dream of yours, I don't want to see it crushed.' She thought as she got ready to raise her hand. Then something very unlikely happened. Someone began to laugh.

"Something funny, Genin?" Ibiki asked the laugher, Kaneda from Oto.

"Yes, actually." Kaneda answered, "I find it very amusing that you expect us to believe that the participating villages all agreed to the terms you just set."

"And if you're wrong?" Ibiki asked.

"Then I'm wrong. But I find it unlikely." Kaneda answered, "So, as my sensei would say, I'm calling your bluff."

'Hmm… No one else is raising their hands.' Ibiki thought after a few seconds of no more drop-outs, 'Eighty-one of them left. More than I expected. Still, might as well get on with it.' "Good decisions. Now to everyone still remaining, I congratulate you on passing the first test."

'What?' Naruto thought, surprised out of her funk over not having the opportunity to give her impromptu speech.

"Wait, what do you mean? We already pass? What about the tenth question?" Sakura asked.

"There never was such a thing." Ibiki said with a smile, which actually still managed to look a bit scary on his scarred face, "Or you could say that those two choices were the tenth question."

"Huh?" Sakura said intelligently.

"Hey! Then what were the first nine questions for? They were pointless!" Temari exclaimed.

"They were not pointless. They had already served their purpose." Ibiki stated.

Hn?" Temari grunted in surprise.

"To test your individual information gathering skills. That purpose." Ibiki supplied.

'He's suddenly changed personalities.' Temari thought before asking aloud, "Information gathering?"

"First, as the rules explained, success on this test is based on the whole team doing well. This puts pressure on everyone not to mess things up for their teammates." Ibiki explained, "But the questions on this test were not the type mere Genin could answer. Because of that, I'm sure most people came to the same conclusion. That to score points, I'll have to cheat. Basically, the premise of this test was to cheat. As cheating targets, we had two Chunin who knew the answers mixed into the crowd. To help you guys out. But those that cheat poorly fail of course." He continued, removing his forehead-protector, which he had been wearing bandanna style, to reveal just how bad the scars on his head were. It was truly an ugly sight with slashes, burns and screw-holes. He then continued, "Because, at times information is more important than life. And on missions and battlefields, people risk their lives to get their hands on it. If the enemy or a third party notices you, there is no guarantee that the info will be accurate." He stated, tying his forehead-protector back on, "I want you to remember this, important information in your hands can be a powerful weapon for your comrades and village. So we had you gather information through cheating. This clearly separated those that did not have the right abilities."

"But I don't understand the final question." Temari said.

"But question ten is the true purpose of this test." Ibiki stated.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Let me explain. Question ten, the take it or not take it decision. Obviously these were hard choices. Those who choose the latter failed along with their teammates. Those who choose to take it could lose the chance to ever take the test again. A true leap of faith." Ibiki stated, "How about these two choices. Say you guys become Chunin. Your mission is to steal a secret document. The number of ninja, their abilities, etc. is all unknown to you. And of course, there could be traps set all around you. Now do you accept or not? Because you don't want to die. Because you don't want your comrades hurt. Can you avoid this dangerous mission? The answer is no! No matter what the danger, there are some missions you can't avoid. The ability to be courageous and survive any hardship, this is the ability needed to become a Chunin. Those who can't put their destinies on the line, who cling to the uncertain future of "There's always next time." And then walk away from their chance. Those pieces of trash who can only make such cowardly choices don't have the right to become Chunin. That's how I feel! Those who chose to take it answered the tough tenth question correctly. You will be able to survive any troubles you face in the future. You have made it through the entrance; the first test of the Chunin exam is now finished. I wish you guys luck."

That was when someone burst in through the window and throwing a pair of kunai into the ceiling to hang a banner behind her, stood in front of Ibiki and shouted, "You guys, and this is no time to be celebrating! I am the proctor for the second test! Mitarashi Anko! Now let's go! Follow me!"

"Your timing's off." Ibiki told the trench coat clad kunoichi.

"This examiner is like Naruto." Sakura said.

After looking around the room, Anko shouted, "Eighty-one! Ibiki, you passed Twenty-Seven teams? The test was too easy this time!"

"This time, there are a lot of outstanding Genin." Ibiki replied.

"Bah, that's fine. I'll cut them to less than half in the second test." Anko said, "Ahhh… I'm getting excited. I'll explain everything once we've reached the location. Follow me."

A/N

Next time-The Forest of Death, Part One. And I'm sorry about the delay in delivering this chapter. Especially since it rehashed canon so much. Anyways, please read and review.


	9. The Forest of Death, Part One

Disclaimer-Naruto isn't mine and I plead with Viz and Kishimoto and whoever else not to sue. You wouldn't get anything, I'm poor.

"Blah."=Speech

'Blah'=Thoughts

D the Stampede presents

Blonde Kitsune Naruto

Chapter Nine-The Forest of Death, Part One

One

Anko led the assembled Genin out of the village to a large, fenced off forested area and said to them, "Welcome to the stage for the second test, training ground 44; also known as the Forest of Death."

"This place is creepy," Sakura said as the Genin teams surveyed the forest before them.

"Bah! You'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death," Anko replied.

"You'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death," Naruto mocked, "You think that scares me? I'm not afraid!"

"Yeah!" Yoko agreed from the top of Naruto's head, "Naruto-san has trained too hard for this to turn back now."

"Yeah, you're spirited," Anko said agreeably before suddenly drawing a kunai from her coat sleeve and throwing it at Naruto's face. Having been trained extensively by Jiraiya, Naruto dodged the kunai that otherwise would have sliced her cheek, but Anko proved faster still, taking Naruto's back in an instant, "Kids like you are quickly killed," She stated with a chuckle, "Spraying that red blood that I love." However, things didn't go as Anko planned as she ended up with a face full of two-tailed kitsune kit as Yoko bit her on the nose, "Get off!" she shouted as she yanked Yoko off her nose, dodging Naruto's punch in the process. "Here!" She shouted, throwing Yoko into Naruto's arms, "Take your damned fox before I slaughter you both!" She finished, adding Killing Intent to her statement to ward off the growing laughter from the surrounding Genin at her expense.

Yoko bristled and shouted back, "I am a kitsune and a summons! And you reek of snakes!"

"Right," Anko stated, still flush from embarrassment, "There's something that I need to hand out before we start the second test," She continued, pulling a stack of papers from her coat, "You must sign these agreement forms."

"What?" Naruto asked.

"There will be deaths in this one and if I don't have you sign these, it will all be my responsibility," Anko said with another laugh, "I'm going to explain the second test and then you can sign them afterwards. And then, each team will check in at the booth behind me. Put simply, it's the ultimate survival test."

'Survival? How troublesome,' Shikumaru thought as the forms were passed to him.

"First, I'll explain the area in which it will take place," Anko continued, "Around training ground 44 are 44 locked gates. Forest with a river running though it and a tower in the center. From the gates to the tower is about 10 KM. During this test you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons and jutsu, you will compete in a no rules scroll battle."

""Scroll battle?" a random Genin asked.

"Yes, you will fight over these two scrolls, the Heaven scroll and the Earth scroll. There are 81 people here, meaning 27 teams. Fourteen teams will get one scroll and thirteen teams the other. To pass this test, your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls," Anko explained.

"So more than half the teams here will definitely fail," Sakura said.

"But there's a time limit. This second test will last 120 hours. Exactly five days." Anko continued her explanation.

"Five days!" Ino shouted.

"What about food!" Chouji added.

"You're on your own," Anko replied, "The forest is full of food. Just watch out for man-eating beasts, poisonous insects, and poisonous plants. And 13 teams passing is unlikely. As the days go by, the distance to the goal will become farther and the time to rest shorter. And the area is crawling with enemies, you won't get much sleep. So not only will some fail by losing the scroll, but some will die from the harshness of the course. Now, I'll talk about what will disqualify you. First, those who don't make it to the tower with both scrolls, within the time limit. Second, those who lose a teammate or have a teammate killed. As a rule, there is no quitting in the middle; you will be in the forest for five days. And one more rule, you must not look inside the scrolls until you make it to the tower."

"What happens if you do?" Naruto asked.

"That will be a surprise for anyone who does to find out," Anko replied, "A Chunin will be asked to handle classified information. This is to test your trustworthiness. That's it for explanations. Exchange your three forms for a scroll and then choose a gate to get ready for the start. A final word of advice, don't die!"

Two

Meanwhile, Kakashi trailed after Joker, who after leaving the teahouse strolled through the village seemingly aimlessly until he found Ichiraku. Joker then turned and waved Kakashi forward before taking a seat. After ordering, Joker asked, "So what can I do for you, Kakashi-san?"

"I've been wondering what kind of village would make a psychopath like you a Jonin-sensei," Kakashi answered.

"Why, Otogakure no Sato did, obviously," Joker replied with a grin, tapping his forehead protector, "And me, a psychopath? You sure do know how to compliment an old acquaintance. But you should be more worried about any Kohona Genin that cross the path of my kids. It'll be a slaughter." He finished, his smile widening at the thought.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked his exposed eye narrowing.

"Huh, your intelligence gathering could use some work there, Kakashi-san. Are you actually asking me to tell you about my Genin?" Joker mocked, making Kakashi scowl under his mask before he continued, "Well, alright, I'll tell. First, there's Akane-chan, the last Ranryu. Next, there's Keroneko Asuka-chan, who is the first of a new bloodline. And finally Kaneda-kun, who's taken to Fuuinjutsu like a duck to water and has an undying hatred of those with bloodlines or in clans."

"Sounds like he gets along well with the other two," Kakashi commented.

"Like a house on fire," Joker agreed, "But they'll get through your exam anyway. And like I said, they'll butcher anyone in their path," Joker was served his first bowl of ramen at this point and said, "Now, Kakashi-san, please let me enjoy the kami's gift to food and either order some of your own or leave."

Three

Meanwhile, in the forest, Team 8 was the first to kill an opposing team, using a trap involving a net and giant, jumping leeches.

Four

"That was… a human scream, right?" Sakura asked Naruto and Sasuke, "I'm getting a little nervous."

"This… this is nothing, Sakura-chan." Naruto tried to reassure Sakura and herself both. Then, saying, "I need to pee," she excused herself into some bushes.

Moments later, a surprised Rain ninja flew out of the same bushes followed by Yoko's human form. Sasuke reacted immediately, throwing several electrically-charged shuriken at the Rain ninja, who, caught by surprise again, failed to dodge. As Sasuke and Sakura looted the unconscious Rain ninja's supplies, Naruto leaped out of the bushes, ready for a fight, "Fight's over, dead-last." Sasuke informed her.

"Oh," Naruto replied, sounding disappointed, "What scroll does he have?"

"Naruto! He wouldn't have come alone carrying his team's scroll!" Sakura shouted at the blonde.

"The Heaven scroll," Sasuke stated, holding said scroll out for his teammates to see before tossing it to Naruto.

"Damn it!" Naruto shouted as she caught the scroll. It was the same one Team 7 had received.

"In case we really do get separated, it'd be smart to have a password." Sasuke stated as team 7 huddled and Yoko returned to her kitsune form, "If they get it wrong, assume they are the enemy no matter what they look like. Listen carefully; I'll only say it once. The Nin song, "Nin machine." When this is asked for, answer with, "A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill-prepared.""

"Wait… that's impossible to remember," Naruto complained.

"Naruto, I've already memorized it," Sakura said.

'Smart plan,' the grass-nin hiding underground nearby thought.

"Naruto and I will hold onto the scrolls," Sasuke finished, standing up. Team 7 was promptly separated by a large blast of wind. As it cleared up, Sasuke left the cover of the bushes he had ducked under and met up with Sakura, "Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed.

"Stay away," Sasuke replied, "First the password, Nin song, "Nin machine.""

"Oh yeah, "A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill-prepared."" Sakura recited.

"Good," Sasuke replied.

"Ow… You guys alright?" Naruto asked, strolling towards them.

"Wait, Naruto, the password!" Sakura exclaimed.

"I know… "A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill-prepared." Naruto recited. As Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, Sasuke grinned darkly and threw a kunai at Naruto, "Sasuke, what the hell!" Naruto exclaimed as she dodged.

"But Sasuke-kun, Naruto got the password right," Sakura said.

"I knew we were being listened to, so I chose a password Naruto would never remember. Also, she doesn't have that annoying kitsune kit with her." Sasuke stated.

"I see," the grass-nin said, undoing his henge, "Neither tired nor ill-prepared, are we? This will be more fun than I thought," he added, removing his hat.

Five

Meanwhile, with Naruto and Yoko, Naruto, who had taken the full brunt of the wind blast and had come to rest upside-down against a giant tree root, "ow…" she said, "Where's Sakura-chan and Sasuke?"

"Naruto, snake!" Yoko shouted.

"What?" Naruto said, standing and looking up at the giant snake before her, "It's huge." 'I've never seen such a big snake! What's with this forest?' Then the snake lunged at her. Jumping up out the way of the snake's attack, Naruto sensed its tail coming at her from behind and created a Kage Bunshin that threw her to the side, out of the way of that attack as well. She then followed up by summoning the three-tailed kitsune that had restrained Rock Lee before the first exam.

"Naruto-san, your orders?" the kitsune asked, facing off with the snake.

"Kill it!" Naruto exclaimed.

"It will be done," the kitsune replied. Then, as the snake lunged again, the kitsune caused sharpened vines to shoot from the forest floor and through the snake's head, killing it. "Naruto-san, you should know that you are being watched," the kitsune said, sniffing the air, "Two humans, though one stinks of cats, and a half-dragon."

"Well, damn, looks like we've been found out." Said a boy Naruto's age as he stepped out of hiding, clapping. He was rather plain looking, though his companions made up for that as one was a black-haired catgirl, complete with cat ears, eyes, claws and tail and the other girl, who Naruto presumed was the half-dragon, was covered head to toe in red scales, had gold dragonic eyes and a thick lizard-like tail. Though the boy and catgirl wore camouflage pants and plain shirts and bore the standard equipment pouches and kunai and shuriken holsters, the half-dragon wore nothing but a bikini and bore no weapons other than claws and tail.

"I told you they were downwind," the catgirl said.

"Doesn't matter," the boy replied, "We'll just kill her before moving on to the last Uchiha."

A/N

Sorry about the delay. Again. Writer's block and procrastination are a bad combination. Anyways, next time: The Forest of Death, Part Two.


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